


A Kind of Magic

by Tazzy_Ladynero



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, World of Warcraft
Genre: Demon hunters ritual, Demon violence, Dimensional Travel, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Sorta self insertion, Spoilers for Goblet of Fire, Spoilers for Legion, Time Travel, other characters show up, warnings at beginning of chapters as needed, writing challenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-10 07:55:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14732994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tazzy_Ladynero/pseuds/Tazzy_Ladynero
Summary: With their world doomed to a slow death, twelve survivors risk everything on a thin but desperate prayer to Elune. The Moon Goddess is willing to take them to a new world and a new life, but it has very familiar names and faces. Bad news is they will have to figure out friend from foe, but good news is that they have teachers and support in this new world. Will they be able to defeat an old enemy before the Burning Legion decimates this world? Or will this world suffer the same fate of their old one?





	1. December 22, 1999 - Hogwarts

As silent as an owl in flight, the slender figure slipped across the rough ground, easily avoiding the large gouges and pockmarks that soke of the horrendous battle that took place there. The sky was dark with angry clouds that threatened rain with the occasional flash of lightning to toss illumination around before thunder rumbled ominously. It was hard to remember the last time the sun had a chance to shine long enough to warm any of those that had found refuge in the ruins of what had once been Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Between magic and science, it was impossible to figure out if it had been Muggles or Magicals that were responsible for the state of the sky.

The figure slid past the broken doors that once greeted eager student and made his way into what had once been the Great Hall. On the dais where professors once dined while watching over their charges, there was a rough camp set up with bits of the long tables placed to one side for firewood as tents made out of various blankets and tapestries were curled around the campfire. Flipping back his hood, Harry Potter walked up to the camp and over to a tent set up in the back where various boxes and crates were stored, and he crouched down in front of a large crate that was almost completely full of miniaturized trunks. He opened the bag that had been slung across his chest and started adding more miniaturized trunks to the stash.

“ Did you have any trouble?” asked a raspy voice, and Harry glanced over his shoulder as Draco Malfoy approached him.

Harry shook his head as he finished unloading the bag before draping it across the crate. “I was able to clean out the last of the vaults on this run as well as find a few more books from Knockturn Alley,” he remarked as he rose to his feet and joined the rest of the Twelve, as they called themselves, at the fire. He inclined his head in thanks as Hannah Abbott handed him a battered mug of stew. “Didn’t see any other scavengers out today, but the weather probably kept them inside.”

“ The wealth of Gringotts is ours, and tonight we will be leaving this world for a better life,” Draco said with a smile as he settled next to Harry. Harry nodded as he slowly ate the stew and figured it was nothing more than the goblins deserved.

When the Muggles had joined in the war against Voldemort, the goblins had switched sides like mercenary little bastards whenever someone offered them more coin. Only, no one knew when they would change sides until they cut a large swath of destruction through their former allies. It had become self defense to start killing any goblin they came across until those greedy bastards that remained vanished deep within the earth, leaving the wealth of wizards behind. The upper vaults had quickly been looted, but the dragons that prowled the tunnels had prevented anyone from delving deeper. It had taken the Twelve survivors of Hogwarts a couple of weeks to figure out a way past the dragons without killing them.

“ Everyone ready for the ritual tonight?” asked Susan Bones, glancing around at the others, and Harry followed her lead, seeing excitement, hope, and a touch of worry at the thought of what was to come.

It had started as a joke, Hermione Granger suggesting that they run away to Rivendell to get away from the destruction of their home, but when Daphne Greengrass began to figure out the arithmancy for such a move, it became something more. A bit of hope for them, and soon, everyone was figuring out what would be needed and how they might leave this world behind for a new one. Neville Longbottom, Lavender Brown, and the Patil twins had started working on collecting various seeds and plants while Luna Lovegood, Blaise Zabini, Hermione, and Draco worked on the ritual and math with Daphne. Harry, Susan, and Hannah had worked on gathering up riches to help them buy whatever supplies they needed in the new world along with scavenging every single bit of knowledge they could, determined to preserve this world’s knowledge and wisdom for the new world’s future generations.

Harry glanced over at the magical clock that showed the date of December 22, 1999 and the sun slowly setting. The date of the ritual had been the only time he had seen any in this group almost come to blows with Blaise, Hermione, and Draco arguing for Halloween night as the veil between worlds was thinnest then while Luna and Daphne demanding December 22 as it was the closest full moon to the Winter Solstice. Harry himself wasn’t sure of the full details behind the ritual, but Neville and Padma had listened to both sides of the argument before suggesting the decision be put before the rest of the Twelve. Both sides had put out their arguments why their date was the best when two strange things happened to convince everyone. 

The first was Lavender’s worn tarot deck that she shuffled when she was thinking had spit out a single card when her sure fingers had fumbled the stiff paper for the first time in Harry’s memory. The card had spun a few times before coming to rest in the center of the group, face up, to show a painted full moon shining down the land. The second was just as that card came to rest on the ground, the moon itself broke through the almost constant cloud cover to shine down on them, as if blessing them and their plan. That cinched it, even for Hermione who was the most skeptical among them when it came to omens.

Daphne followed his gaze to the clock before nodding. “We should head to the site early to ensure there isn’t anything wrong,” she remarked. “And if there is, we’ll have plenty of time to fix it.”

“ Slavedriver,” teased Blaise in a rough voice before coughing a bit. Harry glanced at him with a frown, knowing from the sound of it the Italian wizard had given away his water ration again or they were running low on that precious resource. While it might rain quite a bit, none of it was clean enough to consume even after boiling it. To be honest it had been rather scary to see how quickly humanity had poisoned the planet in only a few short years, but Harry supposed humans were a rather suicidal race.

Harry watched as everyone started moving to the supply tent to bundle things up for what they all hoped was the last time,and he hesitated over the last few bites of stew. Part of him wanted to bundle everyone up in wool and tuck them away somewhere safe, but thanks to Voldemort, no where in the world was truly safe anymore. Plus, none of them would appreciate his attempt at protecting them since all of them had been fighting together or separately since the end of the TriWizard Tournament. Voldemort hadn’t given anyone a chance to move against himself or his Death Eaters, and the Ministry and Hogwarts had quickly crumbled with the school holding out only a little bit longer than the government. Drunk on success and power, Voldemort had turned his attention on the Muggle world which was when things had fallen apart for everyone.

“ She will answer.” Harry glanced over at the dream voice to find Luna looking up at the broken ceiling, a soft smile on her face, and he felt so many of his doubts and insecurities fade in the face of the young Seer’s words. “But we will have a choice to make to unlock our full potential.”

“ Thank you, Luna,” murmured Harry, finishing off his stew, and she gave him a sweet smile before limping over to help pack things up. She always knew the right thing to say to calm the little voices in the back of his mind that were more damaging than anything else, making him second guess and doubt his decisions. Rising stiffly to his feet, he joined his family in packing the last of their hard earned treasure up.

In a little under half a hour, they had packed up their things, grabbed weapons that had been salvaged from the various suits of armor that still littered the hallways, and began picking their way across the land towards the Forbidden Forest and the stone circle hidden inside the dark trees that was their destination. It was almost ironic that the forest had survived when so much destruction had happened around it, as if the fighting factions had realized it would be death to step foot among the dark and twisted trees. The few who had sought refuge in the forest had never been seen again even as the sounds of acromantulas moving through the branches could be heard in the dark of night. Once in a while, a centaur was seen racing through the trees, but other than those few signs of life, the forest was as silent as the grave.

As they stepped under the thick branches, Hermione and Daphne slipped to the front of the group to lead them while Harry and Neville swung to the outside edges of the group to constantly search for anything that might attack them. Unlike Muggles, magicals knew things were just as likely to drop down out of the sky on them as jump out of the bushes.

The trip was a tesne one, but they reached the site where the ritual was to be performed. It was a rather strange grouping of stones starting with a large, moss covered circle that came up to their waist, reminding Harry of an ornamental pond or huge well that had been forgotten. Three large stones were equidistant around the circle with four trees growing up along the back of it as if providing a background for whatever was suppose to be in the circle.

“ We should clean it up,” Parvati announced as they spread out to examine the stones.

“ Besides, we would have a better chance at attracting positive attention if we show we are willing to take care of things,” Padma added, stepping forward to begin peeling moss off the stones.

“ Three of us keep watch while the rest clean,” Harry suggested, deciding on the best compromise. Besides, all of them had old injuries of some sort that made long term labor difficult for various reasons. “We’ll rotate out so no one is stuck only cleaning or only watching.”

Daphne, Neville, and Susan spread out to keep watch on the dark forest around them as the rest did what they could to clean the stones. Cloaks were sacrificed to become scrubbing rags while careful use of magic summoned some clean water. There were still various things that were attracted to magic, and any use had the chance of drawing them to the Twelve.

It was slow going due to the amount of dirt and moss on the stones, but before moonrise, the stones seemed to glow in the faint light with the strange swirls carved in them visible for all to see. The Twelve themselves were grimy and more thana it dirty, and they washed their hands as best as they could in the last of the water. Harry’s back where he had taken a cutting curse that had never healed properly ached, but he figured it was a good ache. It felt really good to be able to clean and repair instead of just fix good enough to survive, and he grinned at the others who had the same satisfied look on their faces that he was sure was on his.

“ It’s time,” murmured Luna, her silver eyes turning towards the rolling clouds that were visible between the trees. Where the rest of the forest had a thick canopy of branches and leaves hiding the ground even in the dead of winter, this area somehow seemed to retard the growth of the canopy, causing a gap that Harry somehow knew would let the moon down onto the stones, like this place had been created specifically for this ritual.

Shaking his head at his own flight of fancy, Harry moved around the circle with the others until he felt like he was in the right spot. There was a bit more shuffling before Daphne and Luna began speaking in a strange yet beautiful language that was almost a song. A few moments of listening and Harry realized they were repeating the same few lines over again. With a nod and much more confidence than he felt, Harry raised his arms and joined in the almost prayer like chant.

Their voices filled the air, hopeful and desperate, and a shiver slid down Harry’s spine at the feel of the magic growing thick and heavy in the air as the others added their own voices. Minutes slipped past as the words grew more familiar to him, slipping more easily from his dry lips, and he could  _ almost _ decipher what they were actually saying. It seemed to be a plea to a goddess named Elune for sanctuary, and as if it had only been waiting for him to make that realization, a sense of peace and comfort fell over him for the first time in a  _ very _ long time.

Suddenly, a deathly cold wrapped around him as his words emerged on a plume of white. He stiffened as he faintly heard his mother’s voice, and he desperately looked around to see the others were starting to droop under the effects of the Dementors. Everyone was still bravely chanting, desperation bleeding into their words, but he knew something had to be done or they would be a feast for the dark creatures who had apparently been drawn there by their ritual.

He drew his wand as he realized he was going to have to time his next actions very carefully so as to not disrupt the prayer. He closed his eyes as he braced himself, hoping that he wouldn’t be screwing up this long awaited ritual by saving their lives.  _ Please, Goddess Elune, don’t ignore us now _ , he silently prayed as he prepared to jump out of the chant at the end of the next repetition.  _ Do not punish all of us for the actions of the one. Save them and leave me if you must. _

“ **_EXPECTO PATRONUM!”_ **

Harry was nearly thrown from his feet as Prongs exploded out of his wand like a cannonball, shooting towards the dark shadows that were slowly gliding down from the sky, but as Harry watched the silver animal, he realized a few things. The first and most important was that wasn’t a stag. No, this was an elk the size of an elephant with antlers easily as large as half its body. The second was that it -  _ no, he, _ Harry mentally corrected himself - wasn’t silver but white with purple markings that looked painted on his fur. On his front legs were strange feathers and metal decorations tied on with strips of leather.

The third and final fact that made Harry realize this wasn’t Prongs was that he had absolutely no control over the huge elk as it tore through the Dementors. He wasn’t even feeling a drain on his magic as if he had simply summoned the elk before setting it upon the dark creatures that hoped to feast on his family. Shaking his head, Harry took a chance and jumped back into the chant, bolstered by the sight of the strange protector destroying the dementors.

When the final Demetor was nothing more than shreds of black fabric blowing away in the wind, the elk descended from the sky to stand in the center of their circle, forcing them all to step back or risk being trampled by the very solid hooves. Now that the elk wasn’t racing around anymore, Harry could see a great many details about him. Such as the swirls and whirls that appeared carved into those great antlers which closely resembled the markings carved into the stones he now stood inside, and the twin medallions, each bearing a crescent moon in a glowing blue light, that hung from those deadly antlers.

Suddenly, the huge elk threw back his head and let loose a loud bugle that shook the trees around them and scaring off many creatures in the vicinity if the rustling of the underbrush was any indication. The clouds suddenly parted, as if waiting for just that signal, and the full moon spilled down onto the stone circle, causing the various carvings in the stones to start glowing a pale silvery blue. Small glowing motes of the same color rose out of the center of the ring and began to dance around like fireflies, and Harry resisted the urge to sink to his knees and bathe in the tranquility that filled the area.

“ Rest, young warriors,” urged a gentle female voice, and he watched as the motes seemed to coalesce into a female form before explode outwards to reveal the owner of the voice. She was at least ten feet tall with long pointed ears and hair the color of moonbeams that fell down her back in waves and curls. Her eyes were solid silver, but Harry knew she wasn’t blind in the least as her gaze flitted over them.

“ Rest, for I am here and none will bother you this night,” she stated, sitting on the edge of the stone circle with her white dress flowing around her. The elk shrank in size until he was only a bit smaller than her before settling next to her in a loving way. She smiled and kissed his muzzle like one would a lover instead of a pet. “Than you, Malorne, for protecting these young warriors until I arrived.”

“ Four of them are suited to walk with me, my love,” rumbled the elk, Malorne, in a deep voice, and Harry’s heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the strange couple. He half collapsed on the ground as the others moved to sit with him before the strange couple, and Malorne chuckled as he eyed them. Harry felt like a Firstie all over again, waiting to be sorted into his house. “One is most definitely your handmaiden. Two surprisingly hear the call of the elements. Two seemed to be claimed by darker forces, and the remaining three merely wish to learn all they can about the arcane that flows through them. Quite a mix that asked for your help, Elune.”

“ Yes, but help them I shall,” the goddess stated, looking them over. Susan and Hannah burst into tears, clinging to each other as they cried in relief and joy while Lavender, Padma, and Parvati were in a three way hug. A strange feeling filled Harry, making him feel as if he would burst from it, and it took a few moments to realize it was hope.

“ Thank you, my lady,” croaked Neville, his voice hoarse from the chanting. Harry briefly glanced around to find everyone had tears running down their faces, and from the faint chill against his own cheeks, he knew he was no exception.

Elune smiled and leaned over to touch the ground inside the ring. There was a visible ripple in the air, and shimmering blue water filled the now clean pool as a pale blue light seemed to radiate out from it. Even the four nearby trees were changed into a rose purple color with the two center ones supporting a large crescent moon while the ones to each side were topped by smaller crescents. Despite the glowing nature of it, the water was crystal clear and so much cleaner than anything Harry had seen in a small eternity, and his throat ached to feel it slide over parched tissue.

“ To help you, there is a small sacrifice each of you must be prepared to make,” Elune announced, her voice soft but her eyes slid over each of them again, holding Harry in place as he listened to her. “I ask for your humanity in exchange for myhelp.”

“ _ What?” _ yelped Hermione, and Harry just managed to bite back his own knee jerk response. Eline was willing to help them at the cost of their humanity? What sort of help was that? ANd should they honestly take her up on her offer? Disappointment formed a lump in his throat, threatening to choke him. He had been so hoping that this was the answer to their shattered dreams and lives, but it seemed the price might be too high.

Blaise suddenly barked out a hoarse laugh, and Harry turned to stare at him. Had the situation finally caused Blaise to lose his mind?

“ If we will not be human, what race shall we be, lovely Elune?” inquired the dark Slytherin with a charming smile as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his crossed legs.

“ What are you talking about, Blaise?” huffed Draco even as Harry stared at Blaise in confused worry. He had a feeling he wasn’t the only one, but Elune and Malorne were simply sitting and watching them.

Blaise gestured towards Elune who had a foot dangling in the clear water. “Does she honestly look like a goddess for  _ humans _ ?” he asked, shaking his head as if answering his own question. “No human, magical or Muggle, could have come up with anyone who looks even remotely close to her. Especially for a Moon Goddess.” He shook his head again. “No, her worshipers are a race that is not human, and for her to be able to fully help us, we must  _ become _ her people.”

All the breath left Harry in a rush, making him feel as if he had been punched in the gut by the sudden realization. It made a strange sort of sense, and he had a small feeling that Elune had worded her request in such a way to see who would think and who was ruled by instinct. He collapsed against Draco, resisting the urge to give into hysterical laughter at the full realization of what Elune was asking of them.

“ Such a cunning young one,” remarked Elune, a small, wistful smile on her face. “Would you not reject the Void to become one of my priests?”

“ Sweet Elune, I fear the dark is in my bones, requiring me to study and understand it if only to counter such things when they are used as weapons,” sighed Blaise, resting a hand over his heart. “To fight a fire, one must understand its nature and weaknesses before it can be defeated.”

“ Very eloquently put, little one,” Malorne remarked, nodding at Blaise before looking at Elune. “They may be of some use in that one place along with your estranged son.”

The goddess nodded before focusing on the group, and Harry sat up as a seriousness had surrounded them, pushing aside the slightly relaxed atmosphere. “There is a world similar to this one that is on the brink of being overrun by an ancient enemy called the Burning Legion,” she began, and a shiver of dread ran down Harry’s spine at the name. “They are a vast army of demons who exist to subjugate and destroy all sentient life. I wish your help in stopping them as you will be most familiar with the laws and customs of your kind.” She held up a hand, stopping any arguments that might have sprung up from them. “This is not a demand that you must fulfill before I help you but a request for help. Should you agree, you will receive assistance in confronting the Legion.”

Harry looked around at the others to find them staring at him, apparently waiting for a decision, and he sighed. “May we have a few minutes to discuss your request, Lady Elune?”

She inclined her head, and they shuffled around until they were in a rough circle. Harry rested his hands on his knees as he looked at his made family. “Thoughts?”

“ We should help,” Neville stated, picking up a stick and starting to dig in the dirt. “If only to keep what happened to this world from happening to another.”

“ I don’t think I could live with myself, knowing someone needed help against a more powerful enemy and I did nothing,” Susan said, shaking her head. “Aunt Amelia would rise out of her grave and slap me silly.”

Padma and Parvati exchanged glances before nodding once. “We vote to help,” Parvati stated. “If only to repay Elune for her help.”

“ Plus she promised help with this Legion,” Padma added with a pointed finger. “How often did we wish for help that never appeared?”

“ It would cancel any debt between us,” agreed Daphne with her own nod. “And a Slytherin dislikes being in debt to anyone even if they are a goddess.”

Hermione snorted and  _ looked  _ at Harry. “As if you would be able to resist helping,” she drawled, and Harry gave his female lover a sheepish smile. “Remember, I know you, Harry Potter. To save others, you’ll be on the front lines, and I would be right next to you to keep you alive.”

“ She has you there, Scarhead,” teased Draco before he doubled over, coughing hard. Harry quickly shifted over to rub his other lover’s back just as Hannah flicked her wand at Draco. She frowned as the results of whatever the spell was spun out into the air between her and Draco.

“ Severely dehydrated with the beginnings of bronchitis,” she announced, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t something more serious, such as one of the diseases that had appeared or mutated during the war.

“ Why are you dehydrated, young one?” asked Malorne before looking around. “There is plenty of water around.”

“ None of it is fit to consume, Lord Malorne,” Hermione said with a shrug. “Even the rain that falls from the sky is too badly contaminated from the war between magicals and muggles.”

Harry closed his eyes and bowed his head in shame. Even though he had nothing to do with how the war turned out, he still felt responsible for some reason. He flinched as a hand smacked his arm, and he opened his eyes to find Hannah glaring at him with a familiar stubborn expression on her face.

“ Not your fault, Potter,” she growled, pointing a finger at him, and he flinched again. “We were let down by the adults who should have been protecting us since we were only fourteen and fifteen when everything started.” She huffed and folded her arms across her chest before looking around at everyone. “Are we all in agreement to help the Goddess Elune with this as a thanks for helping us?”

Ten voices rose in a resounding “Aye”, and Hannah simply looked at Harry with an expected brow raised. He sighed and added his “Aye” to the vote, knowing it was useless to argue with any of the ladies when they had that particular expression on their face. Hannah nodded once before shifting to snuggle against Susan as her girlfriend wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and a pleasant laugh filled the air, lifting Harry’s spirits. He looked to Elune to find her regarding them with a very matronly smile.

“ I thank you for your help,” she announced before gesturing towards the glowing water. “Come bathe in my well and drink your fill. Become my children truly instead of just in name.”

A sudden giddiness swept through Harry, leaving him light headed, and he laughed with joy for the first time in years as he scrambled towards the water. Laughter from the others joined his, and he barely paused long enough to strip off his clothes before he plunged into the water. Holding his breath, he stayed under the surface for as long as he could, the soft, warm water caressing his skin like the finest of silk, but he finally had to surface, wiping the water out of his eyes and brushing his hair back.

Automatically, he looked around to check on the others to find they were also soaking in the clean water. He reached down to grab a handful of sand off the bottom of the well and began rubbing it over his skin, doing his best to wash away the dirt that had grown there over the years. Instead of the expected cloud of filth to rise off of his skin, the dirt just seemed to vanish as if it had never stained his skin.

FInally, he was unable to resist the temptation any longer, and he scooped up water in his hands, bringing it to his mouth. Cool, clear, and refreshing, the water slipped over his tongue and down his throat, soothing the familiar ache that he had long since gotten use to. A moan of delight and relief escaped him, and he simply put his mouth in the water, drinking greedily. He didn’t care how he looked. He was going to indulge in a nice bout of gluttony until he couldn’t drink any more.

There was a snort from Malorne before the sound of a hoof stroking stone, and Harry felt something ripple through the air. Straightening up, he looked to find a tree rapidly growing next to the well. Within seconds, round, ripe fruit hung from the branches before Malorne struck the tree with a back hoof. Yelps of surprise filled the air as the heavy fruit fell into the water, nearly filling the surface as they bobbed there, waiting to be gathered.

“ Eat, children,” Malorne urged, sounding much like a father trying to get his children to partake of a dinner that had just been placed on the table. “As Elune’s waters shall heal your spirits, my fruit shall nourish your bodies.”

Picking up one of the fuzzy fruits, Harry turned it over in his hands before he figured out it was simply a type of peach that was a bit more pink than what he was use to seeing. The first bite was sweet and juicy and awoke a ravenous hunger within him. He ate several in quick succession, placing the pits aside to be planted later, and yet despite the large quantity that was being consumed by the hungry group, there always seemed to be just a few more peaches in the water. Neville emerged from the water long enough to dig a bag out of his abandoned clothes, and he scooped all of the peach pits into it, moving around to those who had finished their peaches to collect from them. Harry thought he saw a flicker of approval on Malorne’s face before a yawn caught the green eyed young man by surprise.

“ Sleep, young ones, and when you wake, you shall be in your new home,” urged Elune, and Harry nodded, climbing out of the water to curl up on the warm stones that made up the pool. The air was surprisingly warm for being in the tail end of December, but all thoughts of the strange weather was washed away as Harry fell asleep before he was fully settled.


	2. December 22, 1999 Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving to Elune's new world for the children and the neighbors show up to see what's going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some character spoilers for Mists of Pandera.

Malorne eyed the dozen of sleeping children scattered in and around the moonwell with a critical gaze. Four had already begun to assume the more common traits of the Sin'dorei - not surprising as two had the feel of warlock about them - but it was a bit of a surprise to see the two would be shamans were becoming Kaldorei.

“ None of your children have ever spoken with the elements before,” he remarked, glancing at his love as Elune continued to stare at them with a look of motherly pride. Not that he blamed her because these twelve not only survived the devastation of their world but also were willing to help when asked instead of refuse to live lives of peace.

“ It will certainly shake up some of those old druids,” she agreed with a smug smile before tilting her head. “So, I’m going to need a teacher for a pair of warlocks, druids, a pair of shaman, and some mages.” She nodded decisively, and he could tell she was already trying to figure out who would be called to help.

“ And your silver priestess?”he inquired, gesturing with his horns towards the pale girl who was floating on her back in the moonwell. “Who will teach her?”

“ I will,” Elune replied with a slight shrug as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to teach her priests and priestesses instead of leaving it to the older ones. She held out her hands as a ball of power appeared in her palms, and she casually tossed it into the air. As it reached a spot above the moonwell, the ball exploded into a bright flare of light that slashed through the night. Later when someone finally bothered to investigate the strange phenomenon, all they found was a rotted peach tree and a depression on the ground where the moonwell once stood.

When Malorne could see again, he found himself in a grotto the encircled the moonwell with a stone path that lead down the hill towards a cliff face in the distance. He snorted and rose to his feet as he flicked an ear at Elune. “I have mentioned how annoying that sort of transportation is, correct?”

She laughed, sounding like rain on the leaves before she gestured again. The children and their belongings rose into the air and followed her as she walked out of the grotto. Malorne shook his head as he started down the path, Apparently, she was in a playful mood and all he could do was endure. Absently, he wondered what her priestesses would do if they saw her like this before dismissing that thought. It was hard enough to get his  _ druids _ working together due to politics, but at least Malfurion Stormrage was slowly stopping that nonsense. No, her priestesses would only see Elune as the gentle and serene goddess with a warrior side. This playfulness would be completely foreign to them, but perhaps not to these children.

As they drew closer to the cliffs, he could see that there were various structures and paths carved into the side of the cliff itself in a sort of terrace like way. It was a subtle but delightful blend of the grace that the Kaldorei enjoyed pleasantly mixed with the grand decadence of the Sin'dorei. Even the colors were a mix of the rich jewel tones and golds along the bottom terraces before fading into the twilight silver, purples, and cool blues, showing a pleasing blend of the two cultures without favoring one over the other.

“ Rather a lot of space for twelve children, even with instructors,” mused Malorn as he looked up at the huge cliff with its multiple structures carved into the side. It almost resembled a small town with how many dwellings he could see, and he was pretty sure there was the possibility for even more to be carved out.

“ They will have an entire community to support them even as they rule as a Council,” remarked Elune, leading the way into a large pavillion with huge pillows and blankets everywhere. As the children were settled on the pillows, there was a subtle flash of light as each was dressed in robes appropriate for their new responsibilities. Elune nodded once before gesturing to the belongings and several tiny trunks floated out to separate themselves into three piles. One pile stacked itself up in a corner, the second made itself at home next to one of the arches heading out towards the open ground, and the third pile floated along behind Elune as she left the sleeping children to venture farther into the cliff.

Shaking his head, Malorne assumed the form of a Highmountain tauren before he followed after her again. It took a few minutes before he found her in the huge cavern that was lined with empty shelves, and as he watched, she tapped on a tiny trunk which quickly grew to a full sized one before the lid would pop open. Then books and scrolls of every shape and size flew out of the trunk before slotting themselves onto the various shelves, and within a few minutes, all of the trunks that had followed her were empty of their contents. He shook his head at how empty the place still seemed with what must have been a great deal of knowledge.

“ No, this won’t do at all,” muttered Elune before gesturing. There were soft flashes of power as book after book appeared on the shelves, quickly filling them up, and Malorne watched as scrolls also began appearing, slotting themselves into the diamond shaped shelves made to hold only scrolls. Even with how rapidly everything was appearing, it still took over an hour before almost all of the shelves were filled, and Elune looked rather satisfied with herself. Walking over to a lectern, she pulled a large tome out of thin air and placed it there. She nodded once before grinning at Malorne. “Want to get the various greenhouses ready for the children?”

“ What is all of this?” he asked, gesturing around to the various books. “I saw how many trunks followed you, and they didn’t even make a dent in this place.”

The Moon Goddess shrugged a shoulder. “I gave them a copy of every book on Azeroth that ever was plus from this new world as well,” she explained, bouncing slightly on her toes. “They’ll need the resources to learn about the abilities I woke within them.” A deep frown crossed her face. “Time too. I won’t have partially trained children going after the Legion. That’s a sure way to commit suicide.”

“ If you’re going to mess with time, it might be best to ask Nozdormu for help,” Malorne pointed out as he followed Elune out of the massive library and back out to the pavilion with the sleeping children. “If only to keep from having to deal with a pissy bronze dragon.”

“ I think he was born grumpy,” Elune stated with a huff as she gestured again. It was still a bit of a surprise to suddenly see more miniature trunks floating after Elune like a strange swarm of bees, but Malorne was proud that he didn’t jump this time. From the faint look of disappointment in her eyes, it was clear she had been hoping for some sort of reaction from him, and he simply smirked at her as they entered a large building built on top of the cliff, far enough away from the edge that any sun shining through the crystal structure wouldn’t set anything ablaze from the focused light.

Malorne staggered a bit at the door, huffing at the sudden wave of wet heat slapped im in the face, but he gamely followed Elune inside. There were neat rows upon rows of fresh, dark soil resting in waist high wood and stone planters, and over each row near the roof were clay pipes with small holes in the bottom. He followed a pipe back to its beginning to find a huge tank partially filled with water that was in the perfect spot to collect rainwater while a few fish darted around under a couple of water lilies, perfect to eat any bugs that might try to spawn in the water.

“ You’re doing a lot of the work that the children are quite capable of doing themselves,” Malorne pointed out as he rejoined her near the beds. She was already starting to expand the trunks back to their normal size and stack them along the one wall that didn’t have any planters in front of it. Walking over to her, he rested his chin on her shoulder. “What’s wrong, Elune?”

“ Nothing is wrong, but they’re special,” sighed Elune, leaning back into his arms, and in that moment, she looked so tired, so worn that it made him wonder if the war against the Legion on Azeroth was weighing on her more than he originally suspected. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to rest against his as she continued. “Never before has anyone called out to me like those twelve children. So full of desperate hope and need yet willing to set aside their hard earned peace to fight against an enemy that isn’t theirs.”

Straightening, she turned to look at Malorne. “I saw their hearts and souls, their pasts and their possible futures, and I feel humbled by what they have done and survived to get to the point where they called me. They are warriors in their own right, bloodied far too young when they should have been under the tutelage and protection of adults still. Orphaned by hatred and fear, not one of them have allowed themselves to become bitter and twisted. How many on Azeroth might claim the same strength?”

Ah so this was the source of her fervent desire to help the children with everything in this new world. She had compared them to those who lived on Azeroth and found the later lacking desperately. Reaching up, he tucked a strand of moonlight hair behind her ear, gently tracing the point with a thick finger.

“ You cannot judge a dog by a cat’s ability to catch mice, my heart,” he stated, his voice soft. “The dog will always be lacking in such a contest as it is not his nature to catch mice.” He smiled at her, reaching up to cup her face with the three fingered hand he had in this form. “You can do some for the children, but they need a chance to stretch their own wings and fly. Shelter them for a while until they have recovered from the ravages of their own war, and then let them find their own way.” He smiled and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “They will not turn from you or forget you. You gave them hope when they had none. A new life when their own was fading. They will not forget that.”

She wasn’t the only one who could see into the hearts of others, and those who would walk his path were an open book for him. He gently tugged her out of the crystal structure, closing the door behind them with a swish of his tail, before taking her back to the moonwell. Truthfully, this was the first time in a  _ very _ long time that either of them had directly interacted with mortals, and while he may watch over the druids and Taurens, helping guide their paths, there were none who called out for his help that resonated so strongly with him until those twelve. It may have been Elune that they had raised their voices to, but he had heard just as clearly as she had the desperate prayer of the young man who risked his own hope for a new life to protect his friends and made family. That sort of sacrifice was rare on Azeroth these days.

When they arrived at the moonwell, the four adult figures standing around were no surprise to Malorne as he had been almost expecting their arrival since they had mentioned Nozdormu. The little Pandaren girl that was sitting on the edge of the well and calmly talking to Ysera about various plants found in the Jade Forest of Pandera and their uses.

“ ... And after you’ve steeped the silkweed and green tea leaves together for half an hour, you strain it into a crystal vial and let it cool,” Fei remarked, gesturing with her hands. “Once it cools, you have a Potion of the Jade Serpent which will make you smarter for a while.” She smirked and tilted her head, her face the picture of innocent mischief. “Of course, most people will simply use green tea leaves in their brewing since they have a pleasant, mild taste. Not that  _ I _ would know anything about that since I’m too young to drink brew.”

Malorne huffed and settled on the ground next to Nozdormu as Elune perched on the moonwell next to Fei. “Pull the other leg, Fei. I believe the saying is ‘it has bells attached to it’?”

That earned him a laugh from the little girl and a tired smile from Alexstrasza of the Red Flight as she leaned against Ysera of the Green Flight. It was an odd picture as Ysera’s humanoid form was that of a Kaldorei with emerald green hair and purple skin while Alexstrasza wore a form closer to that of a Sin'dorei with a red mane. Both had horns emerging from their hair, but that was the only sign of their true form. Nozdormu of the Bronze Flight resembled an elf but in all browns from his skin to his hair and his eyes. Ironically, it was Kalecgos of the Blue Flight who looked like a half elf with blue hair and eyes.

“ Thank you for coming, although I am surprised to see you here,” Elune stated, looking at Fei as the girl shifted closer to her.

Fei shrugged a shoulder. “Fat Long-Fat was visiting Anduin in Stormwind to help him with the wildly swinging emotions he currently is burdened by,” she explained, waving a small paw. “Niuzao had something else going on, and Xuen’s kids were being kids. Plus he was muttering something about a monk tournament and too much extra energy. I was the only one available, and it only seemed fitting since it was a meeting of dragons and gods.”

“ Very true,” Malorne remarked with a chuckle as he folded his legs and rested his hands on his knees. “Earlier tonight, a group of twelve children sent up a prayer to Elune for help and sanctuary. Their world was dying by inches from a war between the small number of those who could use the arcane and the much greater numbers of those who could not.”

Elune cuddled Fei in her lap, apparently taking comfort in the small Pandaren child. “They agreed to help this new world against the agents of the Burning Legion simply because they could not sit by and do nothing,” she stated, her voice soft. “They became Kaldorei and Sin'dorei when I woke their full potential in their souls. Unfortunately, the magics they can now command have been lost on their world and even this new one.” Her silver eyes turned to Nozdormu. “Timeless One and Dragon of the Ages, will you help grant these children the time they need to master their abilities before they face enemies both old and new?”

“ What do you require, Night Warrior?” asked Nozdormu, a thoughtful frown on his face before he gestured to Malorne. “Between your abilities and those of the Waywatcher, do you not have the skills needed to see this plan out?”

“ We do, but I thought it more polite to ask for your assistance in this instead of just setting everything up and then having to explain to your agents just why we decided to take someone out of time for a while,” Elune pointed out. “Besides, with you five here, you can see this as a brief vacation and release from your duties as you heal from everything that has happened as well.”

Fei giggled and shook her head. “I can’t stay, but if you let me know what you need, I can see about nudging a few people this direction for you.”

Malorne shrugged his shoulders. “Teachers for druids, mages, warlocks, and shamans,” he said. “Elune wanted to teach her handmaiden herself.”

“ Well, I have a possible mage teacher I could nudge your way. He’s been getting sort of restless in his little farm located in the Valley of the Four Winds,” Fei mused, tilting her head, thoughtfully. “What do you plan to do with all of this space here? Bit big for just twelve kids and their teachers.”

“ This will be a sanctuary for those that wish to escape the horrors of war to live peacefully while others will come here to learn the forgotten magics,” Elune said, gesturing around them. “Only those who can live peacefully with each other will be allowed across the border.” She looked at Kalecgos with a hum. “I’m going to need your assistance in ensuring the connection to both Azeroth and Earth are as strong as possible while ensuring the exclusion doesn’t break down at any time.”

“ You built this place with multiple ley lines running through it, my lady,” Kalecgos said, his tone respectful. “Do you wish the Blue Dragons to extend our watch to this land as well?”

Elune shook her head even as her eyes brightened with some idea, and Malorne resisted the urge to groan at that look. The last time she had it, she decided to lead him on a merry chase for several months across Azeroth, teasing him until he finally caught her. “No, but these twelve would make a fabulous new dragonflight. Perhaps one over just these lands.”

“ The time of the Aspects is over,” Alexstrasza stated as she sat up. “We may still see to our duties, but it is the mortals that guide Azeroth now.”

The goddess frowned at Alexstrasza for a moment before sliding down to sit with the two dragons, Fei moving to join them, and Malorne could see that Elune was talking but no sound reached him. Rather fitting that the women have a private conversation as Malorne turned his attention to Nozdormu and Kalecgos.

“ Do you four truly believe your powers are gone with the destruction of Neltharion and the Demon Soul?” inquired Malorne as the two males shifted closer to him, ignoring what was going on between the women. “You were imbued with power from one of the Titans, and that is not easily given away.”

“ I must remain mortal or the world will be doomed,” Nozdormu stated, his brown eyes serious. “I have seen my corruption and my death. To take up the mantle of an Aspect again would be to end Azeroth.”

“ To be an Aspect does not mean that you are immortal,” Malorne pointed out with a shrug, getting startled looks from both the bronze and blue dragons. “Was not Malygos brought low when in the grips of his madness while still wearing the mantle of the Aspect of Magic?” He shook his head. “No, to be an Aspect simply means that you are more powerful than the rest of your flight and have more control over your domains, but you are not invincible.”

Nozdormu turned to look out over the peaceful landscape that spread out around them. “Do you think Elune might let us construct sanctums here for our clutches?” he asked, his voice a touch wistful. “There has been no safe place to nurture our eggs since Korialstrasz destroyed the ones tainted by the Twilight Hammer.”

Malorne inclined his head in understanding and a partial agreement. He honestly couldn't see Elune turning away the request for sanctums for the various dragonflights although he was unsure how Wrathion the Black Prince might take such an offer. “You should ask her, but know now that she plans on inviting Illidan Stormrage to help the children against the Burning Legion.”

A frown crossed Kalecgos' face as he stood up to start pacing, arms folded across his chest. Malorne knew that if he was in his dragon form, his tail would have been lashing behind him. “Illidan I trust to leave the eggs and whelplings alone, but I am not so sure of his allies,” the blue dragon finally stated after a few minutes of thought. “The naga especially as it would fit for the Old Gods to reach out through those that they changed to further their own goals again.”

“ There would have to be an expectation for people to be able to defend themselves,” Nozdormu murmured, his gaze going unfocused and his eyes began to glow slightly as he looked into the timestream. Malorne had to wonder if he was even aware of what was happening or if it was just casually ignored as a remnant of their powers. “Or the magic to keep this world peaceful would instead tear it apart.” His breath suddenly hitched in his throat and tears appeared in his eyes, startling Malorne who had never known the stoic Keeper of Time to express any emotion. “Oh, they are  _ beautiful!” _

“ Who is?” asked Kalecgos, his voice soft as he crouched down before Nozdormu. “What do you see?”

“ The hatchlings, living and and learning together as it was so very long ago, watched over by a flight as silver as the full moon, blessed by Elune andall the more ferocious because of it,” whispered the bronze dragon, awe in his voice. “They return to Azeroth to assume their duties to their flights, bolstering the ranks to what they were before Queen Azshara made a deal with the Legion.”

Now Kalecgos' breath caught as his skin lost all color, and he sat down a bit hard on the ground. “The Blue Flight has never recovered from that time,” he whispered. “Would we truly grow in numbers here?”

Eyes glowing with a bronze light turned to regard Kalecgos. “Brother, you would  _ flourish _ .”

A soft noise caught his attention, and Malorne looked over to find Alexstrasza bent over with her face buried in her hands as she silently cried. Elune and Ysera shifted closer to the red dragon and wrapped her in their arms, but he had a feeling it was a release of grief that brought Alexstrasza to tears. Elune glanced over at him, a happy smile on her face, and she nodded once.

“ We will discuss plans with the children when they wake,” Malorne said before rising to his feet, and he bent down to help Nozdormu and Kalecgos up as well. “Until then, let us tour this world Elune has created.”

The two dragons nodded before shifting to their full dragon forms in a rush of bronze and blue lights. Malorne chuckled and resumed his natural form, and together, the three of them soared into the air, curious to see what was here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm playing sorta fast and loose with Warcraft timeline and cannon. *grins* I like the dragons too much to just let them suffer like Blizzard did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The children wake up and start meeting people.

With a faint moan, Hermione buried her head farther under her blanket, wanting to continue enjoying the best sleep she had experienced since the war started, but the slide down the slippery slope to full wakefulness had already started. She huffed and carefully sat up out of habit to reduce the pain that came from a broken collarbone that had been improperly healed. Only, there wasn't any shooting pains through her body, and even the far too familiar ache of hunger that had been a constant companion had vanished.

 

The memories of what happened came crashing down on her, clearing the last of the sleep from her mind, and she slapped her hands across her mouth to keep the scream of pure joy from escaping. The ritual. Elune and Malorne. The chance at a new life.She looked around her to find everyone else was starting to stir, but none of them looked as they had. Each had the same long pointed ears that Elune had, and their faces were mostly unchanged save for a bit more sharper and almost delicate features. Hair and skin, however, had been the greatest change among them.

 

Slowly so as to not wake the others, Hermione carefully stretched, testing out her body, and she moaned in delight and relief as the only aches she felt were the natural ones that came from sleeping. Then she blushed as her stomach gave a healthy growl of hunger, and there was a sleepy laugh from the mound of blankets next to her.

“ Sounds like someone's awake,” teased Harry as he slowly unburied himself from the blankets. She grinned at him and waited for the moment when he remembered what had happened. A few seconds later, his eyes flew open and he nearly jumped upright as he stared around in a wild manner. Long black hair whipped around him as he tried to see everything at once only for his hair to fall in his face in a mass of tangles, and he sputtered as he clawed it out of his eyes. Unable to help it, Hermione burst into laughter and fell back among the pillows, her arms wrapped around her waist as she lay there, laughing like a loon.

“ That is certainly a much more pleasant sound to wake up to than screams of an attack,” mused Neville, slowly pushing himself upright, and he huffed as forest green hair fell into his face, partially obscuring the dusky purple skin he now had.

Rolling onto her back, Hermione stared up at the domed roof of the pavilion they were inside, and she wondered how long they had been asleep as well as what had happened during that time. There was a great deal to do if they were going to help this new world against the Burning Legion, and the first was to get back into shape magic wise. They had been using magic only when necessary that she was sure she had forgotten most of the spells she had learned at Hogwarts. She sighed and climbed to her feet, swaying slightly until she caught her balance, and she realized that she was also a bit taller than she had been. Her stomach growled again, and she huffed as some snickers came from a few of the others, signalling that they were waking up too.

“ We should find some food and quick before Hermione decides that the rest of us look tasty,” teased Blaise as he pushed himself upright. His skin was now a reddish tan while his hair was flame red with orange highlights, but like Harry, his hair had grown out to his waist. Blaise ran a hand through his hair and frowned as his fingers caught on tangles. “Also need to find a brush and a tie to take care of this mess for now.”

“ I just wonder if this place has hot water and coffee,” sighed Padma, sitting up to display pale blue skin and deep aqua colored hair. Parvati, who shared her sister's coloration, pushed herself upright with a snicker and a nod of agreement. “As nice as that dip in the well was, nothing beats a hot shower and a good scrubbing to feel clean again.”

“ Ah good. You're awake,” rumbled a familiar voice, and Hermione turned to find a strange being standing in one of the arches of the pavilion. He reminded her of a Minotaur in a way with cleft hoofed feet and an elk's head with a large hump on his back. But a closer look revealed that his skin wasn't white but covered in white fur, and there were familiar purple swirls painted onto his buckskin clothes.

“ Malorne?” she hesitantly asked, hoping that she was correct in her deduction. When they had last seen the god, he had resembled a large, mystical elk.

The being nodded, a pleased expression on his face if she was any judge. “Yes, children, I am Malorne,” he stated before turning to gesture beyond the pavilion with a three fingered hand. “If you will come with me, I will see you to breakfast and help give you a tour of your new home.”

“ How long have we been asleep?” asked Lavender, pushing her hair out of her face as they all moved to join their guide and guardian.

“ And what happened to the rest of our trunks?” Draco asked, and Hermione whipped around to find only a third of the miniaturized trunks in a pile. Each of those had a dot of yellow on the sides, indicating money and valuables were stored in those, but the trunks with the blue and green dots were missing. Where were the books and plants?

Malorne huffed a laugh. “Elune was feeling restless as you slept for the better part of a week and put those things away for you,” he explained, his hooves clopping on the stone floor, and Hermione was stunned at that news. They had been asleep for a week? “You obviously needed the rest, and it gave your bodies a chance to finish changing. The plants and seed can be found in the crystal building on top of the cliff while the books and scrolls have been put away in the library along with any other tomes of knowledge Elune thought you might need or want.”

“ We have a library?” asked Hermione, her eyes going wide at the thought of indulging in a lazy day doing nothing but reading new books and drinking tea.

“ I think we had better wait to see that last, or we'll lose Hermione to the call of books,” chuckled Draco, and Hermione did the mature thing and stuck her tongue out at her lover.

An amused chuckle came from Malorne. “There will be time to see the library later,” he said as they turned away from the cliff to head towards a spot that looked to be covered with trees. “Elune was a bit busy while you were sleeping and various individuals have arrived, your new teachers among them. They have settled into their chosen rooms and are looking forward to meeting you.”

Lavender fiddled with a lock of purple hair which complimented her deep pink skin very nicely, and it suddenly struck Hermione that everyone had glowing silver eyes. Was that a mark of being one of Elune’s people or was that uniquely them?

“ How are we going to be ready to take on this Burning Legion?” asked Lavender with a frown. She gestured around at the group. “We only have five years of education under our belt in our own magic, and yet now Lady Elune has changed us in ways that we have no idea about. Do we even have time to learn?”

“ You will have all the time you need,” Malorne announced, pausing for a moment before a silvery blue light enveloped him. When it faded, it left the elk that they remembered coming to their aid against the Dementors. “All will be explained over a meal.”

Hermione frowned as she bit her lower lip, her thoughts starting to swirl through her mind. She really needed some paper and a pen just to get things organized so she had a better chance at figuring out her thoughts. As if summoned by her thoughts, a glowing light appeared before her to solidify into a book bound in leather dyed a brilliant sapphire blue with what looked like a self inking quill of the same color tucked into a small loop of leather on the front cover. She yelped and grabbed the book before it could fall more than a few inches, almost fumbling it before she got a decent grip on it, and she opened it to find it was full of thick, cream parchment that was completely blank, providing ample room for her thoughts or anything else she might want to record.

“ Um, Lord Malorne?” she hesitantly called, unable to tear her eyes away from the perfect book for her. “This journal just appeared in front of me.” It was a silent plea for an explanation on where it had come from because if random books were going to be popping into existence in front of her when she wanted it, that could make things interesting. Especially if someone else was using the book at that time.

Malorne paused and turned to look at her and the book she held. She tried not to fidget under that wise gaze, but she felt like he was going to accuse her of stealing the book any second now. She actually jumped when he suddenly laughed.

“ It looks like your magic has created your first grimoire, young mage,” he stated, his eyes fixed on her face. “What were you thinking of when it appeared?”

“ I wanted some paper and a pen to write my thoughts down and perhaps start a few lists on what needed to get done,” she explained, feeling slightly awed by his explanation. Her magic had created this book for her? And what did he mean by her  _ first _ grimoire? Would her magic make more as she needed them?

“ Then your magic made it happen,” he said, watching her closely. “Has that not happened to you before?”

“ Not since I started school,” she said, somehow meeting his eyes. “Once we learn to channel our magic through our wands, the instances of accidental magic decrease dramatically as we gain control over our abilities.”

Instead of replying, Malorne hummed and nodded once before continuing on his way to the trees. Hermione glanced down at the book in her arms again before slipping the quill out of its loop, flipping the book open again, and started writing. She felt an arm around her waist, tugging her along, and she let what felt like Harry lead her along, trusting him thoroughly to ensure she didn’t trip or run into anything. She had long ago mastered the ability to write and walk but still needed someone to guide her along.

It didn’t take her long to fill four pages, front and back, with her thoughts, worries, and things she believed needed to get done or addressed, and she blinked in surprise as she was pushed into a chair. Tearing her attention away from her book, she found herself sitting at a long table made of some silvery wood with almost a dozen other people that were strangers.

Elune herself was seated at the head of the table with what could only be an amused smile on her face while the next four people definitely had a color scheme going on with the two women wearing what looked like horns of some kind. The little girl who looked like a panda was honestly adorable while the large male panda sitting next to her had thick fur along his jaw that reminded Hermione of a beard. Both were the traditional black and white, but their clothes looked like they had come from historical China. Next to him was a woman with sensual black curls not hiding the long pointed ears, glowing green eyes, and a smirk on her red lips as if she was enjoying a private joke she wasn’t incline to share with anyone else. Next to her was someone who looked as Malorne had except his horns reminded Hermione fo a picture she had once seen of a Texas Longhorn bull. And the final person was a female with long pointed ears, purple skin, leaf green hair, and a dark purple tattoo over each eye that looked as if she had been clawed by a wild animal.

Hermione eyed those sitting across from them with a touch of curiosity. Which ones were their teachers and why were the others here? Were they all going to teach them? Or had something else happened that required the additional people? Were these the allies that Elune had promised them to fight against the Burning Legion?

Suddenly, the male panda laughed, a deep, good natured sound that invited everyone to join him in sharing his humor. “I believe you are going to be quite the handful, young magus,” he stated, pointing at Hermione with a claw tipped finger. “Already you are brimming with questions and biting back the words as patiently as you can.”

“ That is one of her charms, sir,” remarked Draco, fondness in his voice that wouldn’t have been there before the war. “An undeniable thirst for knowledge. Answer one of her questions, and she will have three more waiting to be asked.”

“ Perhaps, young warlock, but there is no harm in seeking knowledge as long as one knows the limits they must not cross,” countered the panda, sounding like a wise old man.

Draco stiffened next her her, and she glanced at him to find a touch of red infusing his pale cheeks. “I am no oathbreaker, sir,” he bit out, his voice cold and formal. “You shall not address me as such.”

“ How interesting that warlock means that to you,” mused the sensual woman, her eyes staring at them as if trying to divine what they were. “On Azeroth, a warlock is one who can reach into the Void and twist it to our will, or perhaps summon a demon to fight for you while you destroy your enemy with corruption and decay from a distance.” She held up her hand, and for a few moments, purple and black smoke seemed to drift around her long fingers before it dissipated. She inclined her head towards Draco and Blaise. “It is no insult there. At least, not by those that understand that we are not ruled by the demons we contract with.”

So Draco and Blaise who both wore robes of red were considered warlocks on this Azeroth, while she had been called a mage or magus. It stood to reason that since Padma and Harry were dressed like her in shades of purple, they were the same. And considering the woman was knowledgeable about a warlock’s abilities, it was a fair bet that she was that teacher. She was sure that knowledge of what the others were would come up over the course of the meal.

Food appeared on the table, and people started reaching for platters and bowls. Padma gave a very heartfelt groan of delight as she fell on a pot of coffee as if it was the source of life. Considering how many others were eyeing that pot as well, Hermione was willing to bet that it was. A glance at Draco showed that he had let his visible irritation go as he began his morning commune with the tea pot. Coffee and tea had been a precious commodity during the war, and they had all rationed it as long as they could until those final days before the ritual.

Filling her plate, Hermione began to slowly eat, enjoying the taste of fresh, hot food, and for several minutes, her only concern was on her food. Her book lay next to her plate, untouched, as she ate, filling her belly and washing the food down with the most delicious tea she had ever tasted. When she finally returned her attention to the others at the table, she blushed at the looks of amusement that were directed at them.

“ I apologize for ignoring you,” Hermione began, settling back in her chair with a full stomach and a cup of tea in her hands. “Freshly cooked food that hasn’t been stored for months has been rare these past few years.”

“ No apology necessary,” announced the male panda with a wave of his hand. “It is always a delight to see others enjoying food to the fullest extent.” He patted his own large girth with an amused smile. “Food and drink are two things Panderans enjoy, and when shared with friends and family, the meal becomes even more satisfying.”

Hermione inclined her head, understanding a bit more about the Panderans as they apparently were called. Sitting forward once her plate vanished, she pulled her journal over and extracted the quill before flipping the cover open. “May I ask who all of you are? I apologize if you were introduced while I was eating. I’m afraid I didn’t catch anyone’s name and title.”

That earned her a good natured laugh from Elune. “No one was introduced to allow all of you the chance to eat without worrying about conversation at this time,” she assured them as she leaned back in her chair. “Starting from the far end is Shanysa Stagwing, a Druid of the Talon, Shaman Ahnayan Wisestrider, Warlock Zeadrae Heartshadow, and Magus Yuan Ming Restbloom. They shall be your teachers.”

As each one was named, they inclined their head in greeting although Yuan Ming pressed his hands (paws?) together and gave a sort of Oriental style bow from where he was sitting. Hermione attempted to return his bow although it felt very clumsy in comparison. He beamed at her in response, apparently delighted that she was willing to learn his culture, and she turned her attention towards the last four people and the Pandaren girl. Was she Yuan Ming’s daughter? And if so, why didn’t he introduce her?

“ The one who appears young is known as Fei,” Elune continued, and Little Fei giggled and waved to them, appearing for all the world like a young girl. However, Hermione had caught the specific words that Elune had used. Apparently there was a great deal more to Fei than met the eye.

“ Nozdormu, the Lord of Time, and Lord of the Bronze Dragon Flight,” continued Elune, and the man with long brown hair caught up in a high tail inclined his head, reminding Hermione of a regal king. Was that what being a Lord of the Bronze Dragon Flight was? A king? And what was a Bronze Dragon Flight anyway?

“ Ysera the Dreamer.” This was the lady with the green hair, purple skin, long pointed ears, and a pair of ivory horns rising from her head which cradled a crescent moon between them. She had a far away look in her eyes, as if she was seeing something beyond what Hermione could perceive, but she still managed to nod at them in greeting.

“ Kalecgos, Lord of Magic.” A young human man who appeared to be in his twenties with delicate features and shoulder length blue hair and wearing more clothing than his companions was introduced next, and he tossed them a grin as he nodded in greeting.

“ And Alexstrasza the Life-Binder.” The last woman seated next to Elune had a large mane of red hair and dusky skin while her dark horns were banded with gold. She also had a large purple stone hanging from a gold band around her neck, and she too, inclined her head in greeting.

Hermione frowned slightly as she studied the five strange people, trying to figure out just why they were here. Lord of Magic could be the title of someone who was going to help them master their abilities while Lord of Time might be able to give them the time they need to actually learn enough to fight the Burning Legion. But she couldn’t think of what the Dreamer or the Life-Binder might have to offer them, and she was completely clueless when it came to why Fei was there.

“ Forgive me for being rude and blunt, but why are you five here?” inquired Daphne before Hermione could work up the courage to ask herself. Daphne waved a dusky purple hand, the action dislodging some of her forest green hair. “It was stated why these four have been brought here, yet you were not introduced as teachers nor any other position of support that we know of.” She tilted her head slightly. “Are you the allies Lady Elune stated were going to help us against the Burning Legion?”

Alexstrasza shook her head. “No, our flights are already busy on Azeroth both helping in the defense against the Burning Legion there as well as assisting the mortal races,” she explained, her voice casual as she gestured with hand covered in a gauntlet of crimson and gold that reached to nearly her elbow. “Elune asked us to come to help you in a different way.”

She looked like she was going to say something more but abruptly stopped speaking, pressing her lips together as if irritated the words almost slipped out, and Hermione’s frown deepened at that. Taking a risk, she spoke up. “How are you going to help us? And what do you get out of this?”

“ A safe place for our eggs and hatchlings,” Kalecgos stated, staring at them with an almost pleading look in his eyes. “We have not had any place safe for our eggs and hatchlings since the sanctums were attacked by Deathwing’s cult in an attempt to corrupt our children, and each day, our numbers dwindle. Especially the Blue Dragon Flight.”

“ What do you mean eggs and hatchlings?” asked Harry, a suspicious tone to his voice, and Kalecgos looked at him in surprise.

“ We’re dragons,” the blue haired man stated, gesturing to himself and his three companions, but Hermione had a feeling that Fei might have been included in that gesture. “Didn’t you know that?”

“ But dragons are big, scaley, bad tempered, and  _ not _ at all like what you look like now!” protested Hannah, her blue skin paling slightly at the thought of the four people being dragons in disguise somehow. She grabbed her blue hair and twisted it in her hands in an obviously nervous action. “And they have names like Chinese Fireball, Hungarian Horntail, and Antipodean Opaleye.”

The four people exchanged glances before rising from the table and walking away, and Hermione watched, just knowing something exciting was going to happen. She managed to refrain from bouncing in her seat, but it was a close thing. In a sweep of colored lights and magic, the four people were suddenly replaced by four very large dragons. Alexstrasza had traded her crimson and gold outfit for ruby red scales, and while the gold bands were still on her horns, the purple jewel dangled from a chain from her chin like a strange beard. Ysera was emerald with the crescent still on her forehead, but a brilliant gold instead of the more plain steel color it had been, and her eyes were partially lidded as if she was on the verge of falling asleep. Kalecgos was a brilliant blue dragon, and Nozdormu was a bronze so polished it looked almost golden.

Unable to stop herself, Hermione turned her gaze onto little Fei, who was regarding them with amusement and eyes that were ancient and wise. Fei inclined her head at Hermione before standing up from the table. As she approached the other four dragons, who looked to be settling down to bask in the sun, she began to glow a deeper green than Ysera was displaying, and then between one step and the next, a long dragon that looked straight out of Asian mythology appeared. It was an overall jade green color, but her whiskers around her head and the long thin whiskers from her muzzle were a brilliant white. She rose into the air, twirling and spinning in a graceful dance that seemed as if she was going to tie herself up in a knot before Fei descended back to the ground, resuming the form of the little Pandaren girl.

“ I enjoy going about as Fei,” the little Pandaren remarked. “People don’t realize I’m teaching or testing them until after it is all said and done.”

“ As only proper for Yu’Lon, the Jade Dragon of Wisdom,” remarked Yuan Ming with a polite bow to the girl.

Nodding, Hermione turned to her list of questions, and she made sure to address the table at large so any could speak up to answer. “Since Lord Nozdormu is among those here, is it a safe bet to say that he is going to allow us the time we need to train so we can face against the Burning Legion?”

“ Indeed,” Elune stated with a proud smile. “Nozdormu will sort of suspend time in this world, giving all of you the time you need to learn while ensuring that none of your teachers are lost to the passing years, and should they decide to leave once your training is completed, they also will not be assaulted by the time they spent here.”

Malorne hummed and tilted his head. “Kalecgos will ensure that the bridges linking this world to your new one as well as to Azeroth will remain steady and stable. You will be able to shut your gates, but you will never be able to disconnect from the worlds completely,” he said. “Ysera and Alexstrasza came to help as having the four of them work together will make everything more powerful and stable instead of just one or two.”

So the dragons were  _ very _ powerful, but if they were the leaders of their individual flights, that made sense in a way. While Hermione didn’t know much about these particular dragons, the ones she was more familiar with were definitely of the mindset of ‘Survival of the Fittest’. Scribbling a few notes in her book, she turned her attention to the next important question that had appeared by his comment. “You say that this world will be linked to both Earth and Azeroth. Are we going to have a sudden influx of people moving here? And what sort of monetary system do we need to set up? Will we need banks?”

That last question had her companions shifting uncomfortably, and she didn’t blame them. None of them wanted to deal with goblins again, but Hermione couldn’t think of anyone else that might want to set up and handle a banking system. Unless there was some Muggleborns with an economic degree and the know how on banking. But then they were stuck making their own coins. Frankly, the idea was looking more like a disaster in the making unless they got really lucky.

Elune tilted her head, looking at them curiously. “Why are you uncomfortable at the thought of having a bank or monetary system?”

“ Because the bankers in the Wizarding World are goblins,” Harry stated, his voice worn and ancient. “The ones on our world were mercenary bastards and skilled fighters. Only, no one knew if they had been bought by someone for more gold until they started slaughtering you and your allies. We would rather not have to deal with them if we can’t help it, if only to keep the bad memories away.”

“ In Azeroth, any race can become bankers,” mused Yuan Ming, stroking the thick fur on his chin as if it was a beard. He leaned back in his seat and stared at the sky as he thought, reminding Hermione of the old men who sat around in the pubs talking about various things and dispensing advice as needed. “My suggestion would be Pandaren bankers as there will not be any discrimination against races of either Horde nor Alliance.” He offered a small smile to Elune. “Just because one might be willing to live with their neighbor does not mean that they may treat that same neighbor with respect.”

The Twelve exchanged glances even as the other three teachers frowned at Yuan Ming’s observation, looking irritated, but at the suggestion for Pandaren bankers or because he thought their own people might not “play nicely” with each other. Blaise nodded and turned to face everyone.

“ Perhaps it is better for us to have as thorough of a history about Azeroth as we can to make an informed decision,” he stated, sitting back in his own chair as he cradled his tea cup between his long fingers. “We would hate to make a decision now with as little information as we have only to come and regret the decision later.”

From the pleased smile on Elune’s face, they apparently had decided on the path that she had hoped for. Truthfully, it was just common sense because none of them knew what the politics were like on Azeroth, and considering the only things mentioned had been this Alliance and Horde, they had no idea about the political climate that might be intruding upon them.

“ Who did you have in mind to help us against the Burning Legion. Lady Elune?” inquired Hermione, scribbling answers in her journal. “Aside from our teachers and the lords and ladies of the dragonflights?”

“ There is none who knows more about the demons of the Burning Legion than the one who has made it his life’s mission to eradicate them,” Elune remarked, and Hermione looked up to find the goddess’ attention was fixed on Shanysa. The druid teacher was staring at Elune with eyes wide in disbelief even as her hands were clenched on the table as Elune continued. “Lord Illidan Stormrage and his Illidari.”

“ Is it wise to bring the Betrayer here, my lady?” burst out of Shanysa as she partially stood in her chair. “He cannot be trusted!”

“ What makes you say that, Shanysa?” inquired the goddess, her voice mild and pleasant.

“ He is no better than the demons he hunts!” hissed the druid, her hair almost puffing up in irritation. “He consorts with shivarra and naga! He demands that his so-called demon hunters ritually blind themselves in some attempt to make them better hunters! They  _ consume _ the corrupted essence of the demons they kill!”

“ Thus speaks the voice of one who apparently knows better than any,” drawled a deep voice, the tone as mocking as Severus Snape on a good day, and Shanysa stiffened as a being stepped out of the dark shadows, following Malorne, who had slipped away at some point during their discussions. Hermione was assuming that the being was a he due to the lack of obvious breasts on the very bare chest. He was about eight feet tall with at least another two feet being made up of the very heavy, curled horns that emerged from his head, and a pair of ragged leather wings flexed as he approached the table. His legs were more like a goat’s with cleft hooves for feet, and his pants looked as if they had been very fine at one point but were now worn and faded. Strange tattoos in a glimmering green curled over his chest and arms, and across his eyes was a rather dirty looking cloth with an almost sickly looking green light glowing through it.

He turned towards Elune and gave her a deep bow that would not be out of place in a society ball. “You wished to speak to me, my lady?”

Elune smiled and inclined her head. “Welcome, my son, and please join us,” she announced, gesturing to the chairs that had been abandoned by the dragons. “We have much to discuss.”

Snarling, Shanysa pushed herself away from the table, and in a rush of magic, she transformed into a large crow that took off into the sky with a furious caw. Hermione looked after her with a frown before shaking her head and turned her attention towards the rest of the teachers. Zeadrae was looking at the new arrival with a strange mix of wariness and longing while Yuan Ming and Ahmayan were simply displaying curiosity as if they had no vested interest in the apparent disagreement between the druid, Elune, and the possible Lord illidan.

The new arrival sat at the end of the table as Malorne made his way back up to stand next to Elune, and he inclined his head even as he gestured towards the goddess with a clawed hand that looked much more deadly than the ones Yuan Ming had. “The table is yours, my lady.”

“ These children have agreed to help with a slight problem that you undoubtedly may be interested in,” began Elune as she casually gestured towards the Twelve. “They did not have to do anything but take my offer of a new life, but they decided to help anyway as an agent of the Burning Legion is being courted by an evil individual who wishes to take advantage of the Legion’s potential power.”

“ And who is this agent who would want to bring a new world to the Burning Legion?” Illidan inquired with a slight tilt of his head. Hermione was impressed that he didn’t fall out of the chair considering how heavy those horns must be, but depending on how long he had them, she supposed he was probably use to them.

“ A pit lord by the name of Azgalor,” Elune casually remarked, and Illidan sat forward, an expression of interest on what Hermione could see of his face. “I see you are familiar with him.”

“ I had thought he had died when Malfurion destroyed Nordrassil,” he confessed, and Hermione managed to resist shuddering as she realized all his teeth were sharp like needles. Or a shark’s.

“ Will you help train them? Share your knowledge of the various demons that make up the Burning Legion so they may succeed against their enemies?” asked Elune, apparently ignoring the silent inquiry for more information.

Huffing, Illidan rose to his feet and turned his head towards them despite the fact he was apparently blind. Hermione had to wonder if he had managed to develop another way to “see” his surroundings. “I will teach the children everything they need to know about them,” he announced. “I sincerely doubt any would have the inclination or the drive to become one of my Illidari. None carry the scent of grief and determination that come with those who have suffered and lost at the hands of the Burning Legion.”

“ We have lost our entire world, not to the Burning Legion but to war, fear, and greed,” Lavender stated, tapping a finger on the table. “We already grieved for what we had lost, and we know that it is useless to go after those that had destroyed our world because survival was much more important than revenge.” She shrugged a shoulder as she sat back, folding her arms across her chest. “Frankly, I am of the opinion that the best revenge is living your life to the fullest no matter how far down your enemies try to drag you.”

For several seconds, Illidan simply looked at Lavender who lifted her chin and met his blind gaze without flinching. The silence stretched between them, and Hermione bit her lip to keep from saying anything, no matter how much she wanted to at that moment. Then Illidan suddenly chuckled and inclined his head.

“ You have strength in your soul. That will be good when you face the Burning Legion,” he rumbled, one corner of his mouth curled up in a smile. “If your friends are half as strong as you are, then the Legion will fail on this world.”

“ Before we do anything about the Burning Legion, there are a few things we have to arrange now,” Hermione stated, tapping her own finger on her journal and attracting the attention of both Illidan and Elune. “One thing is see about getting House Elves to help us while we study.” It had been a slightly bitter pill to swallow to realize that House Elves weren’t slave but in a symbiotic relationship with wizards to help channel the wild magic that flowed through the little beings. The twelve of them, after the other eleven had beaten Hermione over the head with the facts, had tried to help as many House Elves as they could since the little ones could pop around and get stuff for them. Unfortunately, with the wizards dying by the handfuls, too many House Elves died as the wild magic consumed them. Eventually, even the ones that they had tried to save just vanished one day, leaving them to wonder if they too had become victims of their wild magic.

“ We also need to find out  _ when _ we arrived on that Earth,” Harry added, craning his neck to look in her journal, and she huffed slightly when she realized he was reading her notes and questions over her shoulder.

Elune inclined her head and glanced at Malorne. “Both of those can be accomplished before Nozdormu seals us in a time bubble.”

“ I will gather enough of my people to create a forward base camp here, my lady," Illidan remarked before bowing to Elune again. Then he simply turned and walked away, his hooves clopping on the stones. Hermione watched him go, wondering what his story was and how he came to be as he was, also why Shanysa had reacted as she had. There was obviously a great deal of history going on there, and she wondered if it was between Shanysa and Illidan personally or if it was something more far reaching.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to her questions and notes. There was a  _ lot _ to do before they could think about stopping time or doing whatever it was Lord Nozdormu was going to do, but they had a start. Taking a deep breath, Hermione picked up her quill again and returned her attention to Elune and the teachers, buckling down to get the information they all needed to make informed decisions.


	4. December 22, 1973 - Hogsmead and Start of time bubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to Hogsmead leads to some interesting discoveries and the start of their time in the time bubble.

With his cloak hood pulled up over his head, Draco casually strolled down the streets of Hogsmeade with Daphne and Susan at his sides. The three of them had agreed to go to the magical village to fetch the required information as well as make contact with the House Elves. It had been a bit of a surprise to find that the large double door like gates for their new home was actually built into the side of one of the large hills that they had been familiar with around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. There was a smooth spot above the doors as if it only needed a motto or phrase to welcome people with. That would definitely be something they would have to discuss with the others when they returned.

He could feel the gentle waves of Daphne’s magic as she sent out a general inquiry for any unbound House Elf in the area, and he merely glanced at her before focusing on the ground ahead of them. They were not going to linger long in the town as they were unaware of the political climate or even how they would be welcomed. Depending on the legends of this world, they could be treated as the second coming of Merlin or the arrival of the King of Hell. Honestly, he hoped for the former while expecting the later, the optimism he blamed on his lovers. Of course, whenever he told them that, they simply laughed and cuddled him until he felt better about everything.

The three of them had cut through the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and he could feel eyes on them as they went. However, nothing came out to confront them, and he glanced at Susan who was frowning. She looked over at him before shrugging slightly and he nodded. They weren’t sure what was watching them but safe bet was centaurs. They might have to discuss what to do if there is an acromantula colony in the deeper part of the forest as having those giant spiders so close to their doors would not do them any good if they had a risk of acromantula attack each time they walked out. Of course, considering how expensive their silk was, it might be possible to come to an agreement where the spiders were protected on a farm instead of existing in the wild in exchange for their silk. Something else to discuss with the others.

Hogsmeade was covered in snow with smoke curling up from the various chimneys, and Draco briefly frowned at the obvious holly garlands and wreaths that were hanging on the various buildings. Obviously the Yule season but the lack of students running through the streets made him wonder if school was out for the holidays. He knew that the Upper Class Slytherins were known for sneaking down during the week for various presents for the family or friends whom their parents might not appreciate too much from other houses. Or if they had been bribed by someone from another house to get something for them. He had done that a few times himself, making a bit of pocket money from when he was a third year and managed to sneak out during the week with a few of the others when he didn’t have class.

“ Bookstore for newspapers first?” inquired Daphne, glancing at the others. “Then perhaps a quick wander around town to check on the atmosphere?”

Susan nodded. “That sounds best. Keep things unplanned for the most part to be able to react in a better manner.”

“ Don’t forget your Surprise Combo if someone turns hostile,” warned Draco in a low voice as they passed by the first of the buildings, and the two girls nodded. It was a pair of spells that the Twelve managed to master silently and wandless that helped them get away more than once. A simple  _ Luminos _ to blind the target followed by a powerful banishing charm that no one bothered to actually defend against and they were charms that they learned while still in school.

The three of them seemed to sort of drift along the street, and Draco could see more than one person peeking out at them from behind a window curtain. Their cloaks were undoubtedly drawing the most attention as they were an Azeroth design of heavy wool in a purple ombre with sparkling silver embroidery along the edge, not really wizarding style no matter how wild some of them would dress. Many still believed in the old fashioned notion that purple - or at least the shade they wore - was reserved for royalty, and Draco was willing to be his last coin that more than a few of those people were wondering who would be so bold as to wear such a daring color.

A bell chimed merrily as Susan opened the door to The Wild Crow’s Bookstore, and Draco was instantly hit with the scent of ink and parchment that brought back so many memories of sitting in the Malfoy library with a cup of tea and a stack of books. He shook his head, pushing those memories back for now as he moved over to where the journals were located, and he began to pick out a few of the more interesting ones, such as business and a couple international news that he thought would best serve their interests. The rustling of newsprint told him that Daphne was undoubtedly picking up the various newspapers while he knew Susan would be heading for the rag magazines and teenage interest journals. Between them, they would get enough information to start making decisions on how to approach various things. Such as Voldemort and his group.

The clerk stammered and managed to ring them up even as she kept staring at all three of them. As they were making no effort to hide their glowing, silver eyes, or even Susan and Daphne’s “unusually” colored skin, he could just imagine the gossip that would be  _ flying _ out of that shop once they left. He handed over the requested coins before they accepted their purchases and left.

No one bothered them as they casually strolled through the streets, making note on what was different with their own Hogsmeade such as the Three Broomsticks situated directly across from Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Parlor, and it wasn’t until they reached the edge of the village that anything actually happened.

A dirty House Elf popped in front of them, holding something tiny in a bundle of rags, and she looked up at them with large eyes full of hope. “High Ones asking for House Elves?” she asked, her voice almost painfully brittle with hope. “Even disgraced ones?”

Susan knelt in the snow, apparently uncaring about the cold as she carefully scooped up the little creature who was trembling. “Oh, sweet little mother, there are no disgraced House Elves,” she murmured, cradling the House Elf close. “Only bad masters.” She smiled and wiped a finger over a cheek, getting a faint flinch before the little one could stop herself. “Yes, we are taking in every House Elf that wants to work for us. We have a great deal of space and at least twelve of us who will be far too busy to take care of ourselves.”

“ I be Libby,” the House Elf said, tears running down her face and washing the dirt away to reveal bruises on her cheeks. “This be Dobby. He just born after Bad Master freed me.”

Draco felt his stomach lurch at that name, and it felt like the rug had just been pulled out from under him as he struggled for balance. Dobby was a baby? Only a few days old by the looks of it. While he would like to think that it was  _ another _ House Elf named Dobby, Draco knew House Elves didn’t reuse names which is why their names were so eccentric. Did this mean that they had been sent back in time? He hadn’t really looked at the dates on the journals or newspapers they had purchased, knowing they would have time back with the others to do such things, but if they had been sent back in the past, just how far back would definitely tell on their effect on the world’s events.

Shaking his head, he rested a hand on Susan’s shoulder. “We need to return to the others,” he stated, his voice soft. “Libby can come with us to let the other House Elves know where to come. They will have to show up before moonrise as that is when the doors will be shut, and we will not be emerging for a  _ very _ long time.”

He would let Libby think that they wouldn’t be emerging again for years even though Elune had told them only a day would pass in this world. Better to have the House Elves established during their little time in the Learning Bubble as Harry had started calling it. Besides, they would be so busy learning about the day to day running of their little world (and they really needed to come up with a name for it) as well as mastering their abilities while  _ also _ learning how to defeat the Burning Legion. They were going to be too busy to even  _ think _ about cooking for themselves let alone how to do laundry.

Susan rose to her feet, Libby still cradled in her arms, and together they returned to the double doors that was the entrance to their new home. It was unsurprising to find dozens of House Elves waiting for them, all huddled in miserable groups, and Draco shook his head, a fond exasperation on his face as he pushed open the doors.

“ Come on,” he called to the House Elves. “Let’s get you settled and go over the rules of working for us.”

* * *

Harry stared at the paper that was spread out on a library table before him, still unable to get his mind off the date. December 22, 1973. The  _ First _ war against Voldemort hadn’t even truly developed yet if the papers were to be believed. There was more than one Letter to the Editor decrying the vicious and power hungry madman and self-styled lord while a few of the articles inside the paper talked about the few attacks he had his followers commit. Some werewolf attacks, but it didn’t seem like Voldemort had the backing of some of the more Ancient Houses that had led to a larger war chest and more political allies in their world.

“ We can stop him and save them,” he stated, his voice hoarse with shock, and he tore his eyes away from the paper to stare at the others. “We can find out why he doesn’t have the same support he did in our world, undermine him further, and even offer sanctuary to those that are being targeted by him or the Burning Legion.”

“ And we will, but  _ after _ we find out the details,” pointed out Padma, frowning at her own newspaper while Lavender and Parvati were thoroughly investigating the fashion and teenage magazines. “The last thing we need is to turn the various Houses against us for some political or social blunder.”

Hermione hummed and tilted her head, absently playing with one of her black curls. “Why don’t we just ask the House Elves?” she inquired before shrugging. “They can tell us what they know as well as what they may have heard in gossip from the other House Elves.” She glanced at Draco with a soft smile. “It will also let us investigate which families are doing what and give us a better idea who we can save this time around.”

“ If our parents are students at this time, we might have to either find some way to evacuate Hogwarts into our little world here or secure it from him without painting a huge target on it,” sighed Susan, shaking her head as she sipped the cup of tea.

“ Well, we’ll just add to the list of questions we have as we go,” stated Harry, breaking out of his shock to focus on what lay ahead of them.

Neville hummed. “So what should we name this place?” he suddenly asked, and harry looked up at him only for Neville to shrug his shoulders. “We can’t keep calling it ‘home’ or ‘sanctuary’ all the time, especially when talking with those that might come here to learn from us.”

Draco chuckled and shook his head, pale silver hair fluttering around his shoulders. “It’s been bugging you too that we don’t have a name for this place?”

“ I’m too use to living in some place that’s named,” sighed Neville, shaking his head before tossing his forest green braid back over his shoulder. “My magic’s trying to connect to this place but it’s not working because there’s no name to lay claim to.”

“ I think we should name it after Elune,” Hannah announced, glancing up at them before letting her eyes drop back to her paper as a blush stained her cheeks. “I mean, she gave us a new life and a new world, essentially saving us by creating this whole place for us.”

Daphne sat back in her chair, a thoughtful look on her face as she sipped her tea. “Elune’s Garden?”

Harry tilted his head slightly as he thought about that name. There was something about that name that resonated nicely within him, and he nodded his approval of the name. A look around at the others showed that they were also nodding their heads to agree to the name, and Harry rapped his knuckles on the table twice. “All those in favor of the name?”

He was unsurprised when everyone raised their hand, and he grinned. “Then the motion passes unanimously. This is now Elune’s Garden.”

A sigh of relief came from Neville as he rubbed his chest, and Harry noticed a few of the other’s relaxing just a little bit. Well, he suppose he understood the Wizarding World’s perchance at naming their homes beyond just for the Floo Network. Apparently, their magics needed something to connect to their homes, and naming that helped lay claim to it.

Filing that information away as ‘interesting but not totally important right now’, Harry returned his attention to his paper to ferret out any other tidbits of information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the start of their training and meeting their various allies and Azeroth individuals over the course of centuries. It will be snippets as well as show developing relationships so the POV will jump around a bit.


	5. Time Bubble - Elune's Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lessons with Yuan Ming and the Demon Hunters stretch their wings.

Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, Susan sat on the sun warmed ground with her legs folded in a lotus position and her hands resting on her knees. She knew without opening her eyes that the rest of the Twelve would be scattered around Yuan Ming who had been happy to teach them meditation and Pandaren philosophy to help settle their minds and deal with the nightmares that plagued them.

It had started out simply as a way to find out more about one of their teachers by joining in on what they enjoyed doing while talking with them. Yuan Ming had thoroughly enjoyed brewing his ale, farming, cooking, and practicing various small things that didn’t seem that impressive individually. However, when asked if they could join him in a few of his little hobbies, he had been thrilled, delighting in teaching them the smallest detail, such as the right way to plant cabbage seeds or how to tell when a brew is done simply by scent.

The meditations had happened when Harry found himself jittery and unable to concentrate for some reason. Yuan Ming had decided that perhaps they had all been too busy and needed a calm day to recenter. After that little announcement, he had led them to a little hill with a tall tree growing out of the top and bade them to get comfortable on the ground, stripping off whatever armor or weapons they wished. That had taken a few of them by surprise as they had only just started wearing Azeroth style armor to get use to it, and now they were being encouraged to remove it. Only once she had removed the bulky pauldrons and the thick belt did she realize why exactly he had suggested such a thing as she felt so much more comfortable. It was also much more easy to fall into a meditative state when she wasn’t being weighed down by the armor which was still rather uncomfortable.

Since then, they had started each day with a series of flowing almost gentle exercises followed by an hour of meditation and philosophy before going their own ways for the day.

“ Do all Pandarens follow either the Path of the Huojin or the Path of the Tushui?” inquired Hermione, picking up the conversation from the day before, and Susan opened her eyes to focus on Yuan Ming. “It seems rather illogical for an entire race to adhere to two philosophies when it comes to life.”

“ Perhaps, but if you look closely at those paths, you will see that they are only different in how one leads their life,” Yuan Ming stated, gesturing slightly with a paw. “Those of the Tushui Path are contemplative of everything they do, focusing on intelligence, moral convictions, and living a virtuous life through training and knowledge. In contrast, those of the Huojin Path are quick to fight for what they believe in, are sometimes seen as rash, and will defend what they hold dear, believing in the ends justifies the means.”

Unable to help it, Susan snorted and shook her head. “Sounds like Ravenclaws versus Gryffindors.”

That got a chuckle from Yuan Ming and he inclined his head. They had explained the House system in an earlier conversation. “Very likely, but it cannot be stated that either path is not without the loyalty to friends and family as well as the ambition to see things through to the end. No matter what that end might be.”

“ Does everyone on Azeroth fight?” asked Daphne, the exhaustion from their own years of fighting and surviving evident in her voice. They were all still healing from the fighting and surviving they had existed in before Elune rescued them, but Daphne seemed to be taking longer to heal for some reason. Susan knew that Daphne had taken to talking with Malorne and Elune as well as one of the demon hunters, Zunra Darkheart, about various things, and the former Hufflepuff honestly hoped that it was helping the former Slytherin.

“ I had a discussion with a very interesting Pandaren by the name of Chen Stormstout over a few mugs at the Lazy Turnip,” began Yuan Ming, stroking his beard as he talked, and Susan settled in to listen. When the mage teacher began speaking like this, he had a tale to tell, and he would not appreciate any interruptions until he was done sharing his wisdom with them. “It was a beautiful warm day with a light breeze, bringing the mouth watering scents of the Halfhill Market up to us, and there were a few adventuring heroes in the Lazy Turnip that were bragging about beating back a group of corrupted mantids. I admit some confusion as to why these strangers would fight for Pandera when it wasn’t their homeland, and I posed a simple question to my companion. Why do they fight?”

Susan had an answer on the tip of her tongue and a quick glance at the others showed that they seemed to have an answer as well, but they were all waiting to see what the Pandaren said.

“ Chen chuckled and looked at me. ‘You might as well ask, why do leaves fall?’ he said before gesturing back at those laughing people. ‘It is in their nature.’” explained Yuan Ming with a chuckle of his own before he shook his head. “Chen explained that there was perhaps a better question that should be asked, one he had learned of in his many years of traveling.”

“ And what question is that?” asked Neville, his voice respectful when Yuan Ming paused in the tale, obviously waiting for one of them to ask.

Amber eyes looked at them completely serious. “What is worth fighting for?”

A gasp slipped out of Susan as she stared at him with wide, silver eyes. It  _ was _ a better question because as Chen Stormstout stated in the story, fighting was in their nature. It was why they had not simply laid down to die when their world had been brought down around their ears, their families killed, and their many friends vanished without a trace. To fight was to survive.

“ Family,” whispered Susan, her hand reaching out to tangle with Hannah’s while her other sought out Daphne’s hand, the later gripping her as if Susan was her only line to sanity. “Friends. Safety. Love.”

Yuan Ming inclined his head. “To protect home and family. To preserve balance and bring harmony. For Pandarens, that is what is worth fighting for,” he stated, looking around at each of them, and Susan sat up a bit straighter as she felt the weight of his gaze fall on her. “On you can decide what is worth fighting for. No one else can decide this for you.”

“ That should be above the gates,” Draco suddenly said, speaking for the first time since they sat down. He looked at them. “ _What is worth fighting for?_ It would give those who enter here something to think about.”

There were nods from everyone, and Yuan Ming seemed rather surprised and pleased at the suggestion. Susan smile and decided to do something nice for Yuan Ming later. Perhaps bake him a couple loaves of the spiced bread she was learning to make. Her eyes drifted towards Hannah with a small smirk. After a bit of time with her girlfriend in the kitchen of course.

 

* * *

 

Grunting, Tysa Moonrage swung her warglaives, neatly bisecting the target before instinct had her twisting out of the way of another set of warglaives swung at her back. She bared her sharper than normal teeth as she whirled to block the next swing, the edges grating together with a bone chilling screech of metal that she felt vibrate up her arms. The familiar shape of Kayn Sunfury over their crossed glaives sent a shiver of delight down her spine and through the ragged bat-like wings pressed against her back. There were few demon hunters who could match her on the training field these days, but she had  _ earned _ her rank of Slayer through blood, sweat, and sheer determination. Kayn had been her second in command while they had been hunting for Lord Illidan’s body, and he remained second to her even though Lord Illidan had resumed his position as their leader.

“ You’ve been slacking on your training, Tysa,” tisked Kayn, and she brought her other glaive up to block his next blow. “Especially if I was able to get the drop on you.”

She snorted and flipped backwards, bringing her feet up to connect with his chest and pushing off of him with enough force to send him staggering backwards. “What brings you out to the training yard, Kayn?” she inquired sweetly as she landed lightly on her feet. “Matron Mother Malevolence shoo you away from the concubines before you rotted your brain from all the sex?”

It was very easy to fall into the habit of mocking her opponent, especially since she knew Kayn would give as good as he got. Of course, that meant that she had to give him time to respond which she didn’t. Whirling in a spiral with the wicked, curved edge of her glaive leading the way, she slashed at him, forcing him to dance back or be cut to ribbons, and she laughed, a dark, wicked sound as she felt her blood  _ burn _ in the face of a worthy opponent. Her wings twitched, but she kept them tightly folded against her back, not wanting to use them in this battle just yet. She could hear the others in the training yard move away from the two of them, and a quick glance around showed that the other demon hunters and initiates had ringed the training field, possibly to keep others out.

The faintest whistle of a blade slicing through the air drew her attention back to the fight, and she dropped down to the ground in a low, tight crouch as Kayn’s weapon swished over her head, taking a few stray hairs with it. Not giving him time to recover, she jumped at him, leading with her left blade which was her weaker side. Kayn knew this and tried to take advantage of it with his backswing. She turned her warglaive to catch his blade and rode out the force of the blow to land a few feet away on  _ his _ weak side. Using the momentum, she sprang back at him, a blur of darkness and shadows moving almost faster than the eye could track.

She felt her blade hit something before she dashed back the other way. Once more her blade connected, and she heard a grunt before the scent of blood teased her nose. Before Kayn could recover from the blow, she leaped into the air, coming down with enough force to shake the ground and stagger anyone around her.

Somehow Kayn managed to stay on his feet as he sent one of his warglaives whirling through the air towards her, and she snarled as one of the blades clipped her arm, drawing a line of blood. Oh he was going to  _ pay _ for that!

Shrieking, she jumped into the air with a powerful flap of her wings and tapped into the demon that was fused with her soul. Her skin darkened from dusky purple to almost black, her legs transformed into hooved appendages similar to Lord Illidan's, and her wings had little wisps of darkness curling off of them. Tysa landed with an earth shattering boom, the ground under her becoming a shallow crater from the force, and Kayn yelped as he suddenly found himself on his back. She snarled and stamped a foot, causing razor sharp crystals of pure fel energy to burst out from the ground under him in an attempt to impale him, but he managed to flip out of the way, adding to her anger. He was teasing her, taunting her with his clumsy abilities when she knew he was better than that, her her anger gave way to  _ rage _ .

In a whirl of fel energy and deadly blades, she attacked her opponent, uncaring that he was usually on her side and trusted enough to be selected as her second in command. She didn't notice when her demonic form vanished in wisps of ash and smoke, leaving her as she had been, as she was too focused on removing that smirking head from his shoulders. He was laughing at her, taunting her as so many had before.

_ Poor little Tysa Moonrage, _ taunted a voice in the back of her mind.  _ Lost her family to the demons, and then lost the voice of Elune in her heart. Should have been better. Should have tried harder. Maybe then the one she loved would have looked at her. _

Her shriek of rage reached a new height as she redoubled her attack on her opponent, determined to show them all that she wasn't helpless nor some poor little fool who wandered around with stars in her eyes and her heart yearning for someone who didn't look at her like that. She was the  _ Slayer _ ! Leader of the Illidari, and second only to Lord Illidan, her Master! She had defeated waves of succubi when she had still been in training in Shadowmoon Valley before ripping out the throat of a fel guard with her  _ teeth! _ She had proved her dedication to the fight time and again, yet still the voice wouldn't shut up.

A heavy hand on the back of her neck shoved her to the ground, and she would have squirmed free but there was an equally heavy knee in the middle of her back, pinning her to the dusty ground. Her warglaives clattered from her hands, and she growled, low and warning, as she tried to twist her head to see who had pinned her and why.

“ Kayn may be a bit annoying with his attitude, but he is still a valued and worthy member of the Illidari,” rumbled Illidan above her, and Tysa shivered as she realized it was her Master that had interfered in the fight to pin her to the ground. “I would appreciate it if you didn't kill him just yet, Tysa.”

“ Yes, Master,” she stated, her voice subdued as she took the scolding for what it was. Lord Illidan didn't normally interfere with their fights unless it looked as if they were going to kill each other. She bit her lip as a shiver of delight slid down her spine when he made no move to release her.

That was one of the bad things about consuming the powers and abilities of demons she had defeated as they in turn influenced her in small degrees. It was in the nature of demons to enjoy power, and those that were the most powerful were the ones in charge. It had not been chance that she had managed to climb so far in the ranks of the demon hunters, nor had it been some strange sort of affection that had led Lord Illidan into naming her Commander for the Mardun Mission. She was the strongest of the demon hunters, and yet her Master was able to easily send her to the ground as if she was some child who had never handled a warglaive before. She couldn't help the thrill that raced through her even as she deliberately ignored the various ideas that her inner demon tried to offer up about what could be done in such a position.

There was a soft rumble from Lord Illidan that sent another shiver through her, this one hard enough to make her wings rustle, and she was sure she was imagining the feel of his breath on the back of her neck. He had no reason to be pressing that close to her, not when she was obviously in control of herself again. Then, just as quickly as they appeared, the hand and knee pinning her down vanished, leaving her laying on the ground.

Pushing herself to her feet, Tysa collected her warglaives and slid them into the quick release harness on her back before she turned and walked away from the training field with her head held high. It was the first time Lord Illidan had to intervene to keep her from killing another. While she might feel bit sorry about possibly injuring Kayn severely, she was unable to hide the thrill of showing off her abilities and powers to cower the lesser Illidari and possibly impress the various Champions. Word would get back to those that hadn't been present, and her reputation would grow.

A few minutes later, Tysa reached the pool at the base of a small waterfall she often used to clean up after training. Other demon hunters used it as well, but she figured she had about an hour before the next group would come looking for clean water to splash around in. Moving over to one side where there were a cluster of large, flat rocks, she stripped out of her armor and under clothes before removing the tie that held her long aqua colored hair back in a braid. The last thing she removed was the sheer purple scarf with the small crescent moons dangling from one edge that had been tied across her blind eyes. It had been a gift from one of her allies after a battle had rendered the strip of cloth she had been wearing useless for its job. A wry smile crossed her lips as she briefly thought about the orc Death Knight Nuanda Lashtail, whose hands had smelled of decay and saronite but also of the dry red dust of Durotar, as the scarf had been tied around Tysa's head, the gesture one of friendship and alliance against those that distrusted both of them simply because of what they were.

Shaking her head and shoving those memories aside, Tysa slipped into the water and slid beneath the surface for several seconds. The cool liquid caressed her skin and made her feel as if she was still an initiate in Elune's temple instead of the rough and scarred warrior she truly was. In a way, it was the few moments of peace she gained from being surrounded by water like that that gave her the strength to keep fighting, both the Burning Legion and the demon bonded to her soul that constantly tempted and teased. She knew it was the source of the taunting voice she had heard during the earlier sparring match, but it had been easy to forget that fact in the heat of battle.

With a slight kick, she surfaced and moved over to the more shallow edge of the pond where she scooped up a handful of soft sand off the bottom before scrubbing at her skin. Her fingers ran over various scars that littered her body, some from the numerous battles she had been involved in over the course of her life while others came from the hostile environment of Shadowmoon Valley where they had trained and lived. If asked, she would be hard pressed to tell which was from which, not that it mattered. Each one was a badge to show that she had survived something that should have killed her several times over.

There was the faintest of sounds, and she paused in her washing, analyzing what the sound had been and where it had come from when it repeated itself. She turned her head in that direction and studied the various magic infused shapes that she could see. The deep green of growing trees and the lighter green of bushes and grass almost hid the fel green shape standing there, but the streaks of red that meant Sin'dorei gave the figure away.

“ You're going to have to be more quiet than that if you want to sneak up on the demons, Kayn,” she drawled, returning to her scrubbing with the sand. “Those big feet of yours are determined to make as much noise as possible.”

"Or those large ears of yours are just overly sensitive, Tysa,” drawled Kayn, emerging from his concealed spot to join her. She snorted a laugh because his ears were just as long as hers were, and their heritage allowed for sensitive hearing beyond what the demons believed they might possess. But then, the demons always underestimated them even as they tried to lure them to their side.

Tysa turned her attention back to getting clean, gritting her teeth whenever the sand roughly scoured an open wound that was slow to close, as she listened to Kayn disrobe as well before the splash of water indicated he had joined her. Clean water had been scarce in the Black Temple despite what had been used in various fountains in the Den of Mortal Delights, something their naga allies had grumbled about, and even now, the demon hunters luxuriated in pools like this whenever they had a chance

“ That was the closest I have ever come to dying by your hand,” he remarked after several minutes of silence. She had finished cleaning and was simply lounging in the water, enjoying it for the luxury it was. At the sound of his voice, she turned her head in his direction to find him stretched out on a large stone, apparently enjoying the sun warmed spot. “What set your rage off that time?”

She huffed and swam a bit closer to the shore. Each of them had a trigger that would set them off, but all of them had done their best to disarm that weakness. “You weren't fighting to your full potential,” she said, folding her arms on the rock near him even as she floated in the water, lazily kicking her legs. “And my demon took advantage of that to poke me.”

That earned her a thoughtful hum from Kayn. “Been a while since it did that,” he mused before his head turned to look at her as his silhouette changed. “And I was fighting at my full. You've just gone and outstripped all of us save for Lord Illidan.”

“ I've done what I can to get people out into the field, fighting the Burning Legion wherever we can,” grumbled Tysa, knowing that was one of the various complaints she was always hearing. When were they going to head to the front lines? Could they possibly go and fight a few demons? Surely there was  _ somewhere _ on the Broken Isles they could be stationed to fight, wasn't there? “Politics gets the way of some of it, but the rest?” She shook her head, feeling the weight of her position as Commander of the Illidari settle on her shoulders again. “We need every demon hunter, Coilskar naga, shivvara, and Ashtongue we can scrape up to go against the demons but too few are ready for battle that it would be a senseless slaughter to send them out.”

A knowing chuckle came from him, and she growled, scraping her claws across the stone he was laying on in a subtle threat. “Perhaps that irritation is why our Master is so slow to pick up the reins he willingly surrendered to you during his absence,” mused Kayn, his voice a dark tease. “Letting you deal with the logistics and politics allows him to focus on our forces. Light only knows how much I prefer you to be aboard the  _ Fel Hammer _ taking care of all of that instead of romping around the Broken Isles dealing with the rest of the logistics.”

“ You hate dealing with that as much as I do,” she countered, reaching out to flick a claw against his horns and getting a low growl for her troubles. “You should be happy I let you tag along as a bodyguard on some of those missions instead of remaining stuck on the  _ Fel Hammer _ all the time.”

His answer was short, dirty, and biologically impossible, and she laughed, climbing up on the rock next to him. He yelped when the cooler water from her body dripped onto sun warmed skin, but he settled down with a grumbled huff as she stretched out next to him, spreading her wings slightly to absorb more light as she rested her head on her folded arms.

The two of them quietly talked about logistics that needed to be seen to as well as who might be ready to move out of the training class and into full mission status. She found herself yawning and slowly growing more drowsy as she lay there in the sun, but she couldn't find the energy just yet to leave her current position. Nudity was rather common among the demon hunters due to the simple fact that they were blind. True, they could see the magic that existed in everything which allowed them to get around as if they still had eyes, but that only provided the shape of things instead of actual details. Why bother getting fully dressed if one was simply moving from the healing hall back to their tent to finish healing? It was more common now, aboard the safety of their ship turned base, but even at the Black Temple, behind walls of stone, all of them had wandered the halls with only their hair to protect any false modesty.

“Why haven’t you gone to the Master’s bed?” Kayn asked, his voice soft, and she blearily opened an eye to glance at him before shutting it again not wanting to answer. It wasn’t unusual for any of them to seek companionship in each other’s beds or even Lord Illidan’s, but she was one of the few who had never gone to Lord Illidan’s bed at all. The other females who avoided his bed were only interested in other women. “He has wondered why you have been avoiding him.”

“You’re not going to let this go until I answer, are you?” she sighed, knowing how he could be like a worgen with a steak when he wanted to know something.

“Considering you’ve been in my bed a few times, he knows that you enjoy laying with males,” Kayne pointed out as he shifted. She realized he had rolled over on his side when she felt him drag the knuckles of his hand down her spine. She hadn’t noticed when she had drawn her wings into her back, but she certainly noticed his touch. “Of course, you haven’t joined me in a while. Not since we emerged from the Vault. Why is that?”

“Part of it has been because I’ve been busy dealing with everything it takes to manage the Illidari,” she admitted, willing to give him that much of an answer in the hopes that it would satisfy him. “I never imagined that I would end up being our leader, let alone working alongside the very people who worked to imprison us.” She shook her head before resting her chin on her folded arms again. “I found out from Khadgar during one of the meetings I was required at that we had been imprisoned for ten years, and the only reason we were released was Maiev, curse her black heart, realized we were needed to fight the Burning Legion.”

“The Master was imprisoned for ten thousand years,” Kayn pointed out.

“He was locked in a cage,” she countered. “We were imprisoned in crystal like bugs trapped in amber. There were times when I was sure I would go mad, yet I knew I couldn’t, not when all of us were captives of the Vault. I admit I’m flattered that Maiev thought we were dangerous enough to lock up there, but I never want to see her again.”

Kayn hummed and ran his hand down her spine again, this time with the very tips of his claws caressing her skin. “And the rest of it?” he pressed. “Frankly, I thoroughly enjoyed our time together and had to wonder what changed.”

“I did,” she confessed, her voice soft as she turned her head to stare at his fel green silhouette. “Ten years, not sleeping but not awake. Alone and silent save for the rare times Maiev came to taunt us, all I had were my thoughts, twisting and spinning in my head. I found myself dwelling on things that had never bothered me before, things I never gave a second thought to. I started questioning many things, but most especially my feelings and reasons for going to your bed.”

Tysa pushed herself upright and sat back, rubbing a hand over her face. “It’s no secret that you look like Lord Illidan if he had been born Sin'dorei instead of Kaldorei, and I had to wonder if I was just using you as a replacement for something I knew I could never have.” She turned her blind eyes towards Kayn, knowing she owed him at least this much. “I was thinking I could just keep it casual with you, after all it was just bodies right? But my head and my heart started fighting about what I wanted versus what I was feeling. I didn’t want to go to the Master’s bed unless the name on his lips was mine, but I was starting to question if it was your name on my lips or his.”

Shaking her head, she stood up and got dressed again, her body language stating that this conversation was over and he should be satisfied with her answers. She vowed to never bring the topic up again, and she knew Kayn was discrete enough to never broach it in public. Frankly, until she could get her head on straight with her emotions, it was just easier to remain the Slayer and Commander of the Illidari.

“I’ll talk with Lady S’theno, the Matron Mother, and Akama’s Shade to work out a rotating training schedule for their forces while Ariana gets every last initiate whipped into shape and ready to face the Legion,” she stated, tugging on leather armor with a familiar ease. “We’ve been granted the time to train everyone we can, and I’m going to take as full advantage of it as possible.”

“And the children we’re to teach?”

She shrugged a shoulder as she slipped her warglaives where they belonged in the back harness. “All of the champions save for Akama’s Shade and Lady S’theno will rotate with them, sharing our knowledge and teach them of the Legion.”

Tysa trusted the Ashtongue Broken only so far, knowing that Akama hadn’t been alone in his desire to betray them, and the naga’s loyalty was only to Lord Illidan for as long as he could keep them in check. She wasn’t deaf to the various questions she had heard whispered around both the Black Temple and the  _ Fel Hammer _ , and she wasn’t going to give either sect a chance to learn more about the children or worse, turn them against the rest of the Illidari.

Clad once more in her position and armor, she left Kayn lounging by the pool as she returned to their small base camp, completely unaware of the second shadow that had heard everything, concealed at the top of the gentle falls.


	6. Elune's Garden - Time Bubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting and an invitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for the Broken Shore. Also, this will probably be the only time these particular characters show up.

Anduin Wrynn, King of Stormwind and High King of the Alliance led King Genn Greymane of Gilneas, High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque, Falstad Wildhammer, and Aysa Cloudsinger down a stone hallway that wouldn’t be out of place in Ironforge before emerging onto a large plateau that held a large table with many seats. Overhead was a roof supported by marble pillars that were emerging from a marble bannister. He was unsurprised to find High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind, Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage, and Prophet Velen already there, standing near the railing in a small cluster and talking in hushed voices. They stopped when Anduin approached them, and Tyrande offered him an honest and heartfelt smile as she held out her hands to the young king. Anduin always felt like she was genuinely happy to see him unlike so many nobles whose smile seemed to hide a thin veneer of unpleasantness, but he had been dealing with that attitude from various nobles since his father went missing and was presumed dead. 

“It is good to see you again, Anduin,” greeted Tyrande, taking his hands and giving him a deep Kaldorei bow of respect.

“It is good to see you as well, Tyrande,” the young king stated bowing over their hands to show his respect to the ancient Kaldorei. “Do you know what this is about?” His invitation had been less than forthcoming about the topic, only stating that it was of importance to him and his people while promising his safety and peace during the talks.

She shook her head, but there was a thoughtful look on her face. “No, but when I prayed to Elune for guidance on this, I could have sworn that I heard her laughing in delight. As if she personally had set everything up.”

“I received the same response when seeking information from Malorne,” rumbled a deep voice, and Anduin turned to find Chief Baine Bloodhoof  emerging from the tunnel with Regent Lord Lor'Themar Theron, Varok Saurfang the new leader of the orcs, and a troll who Anduin vaguely recalled being introduced once as Scout Rokhan. The Tauren High Chief bowed politely to them before glancing around, a look of confusion appearing on his face. “Is the Trade Prince and Banshee Queen to join us?”

Greymane growled, low and threatening, as an orange light seemed to explode out of him, leaving him in his Worgen form. “I hope she does!” he snarled, flexing his clawed fingers as if grasping something. “I want a good chance at her throat for what she did at the Broken Shore!”

“She saved as much of the Horde as she could,” stated Baine in a calm voice as he folded his arms across his chest. There was an ancient weariness to his face, and Anduin had to wonder how much was lost on the Broken Shore that the two sides were unaware of. 

“Could you tell us what happened, Chief Bloodhoof?” asked Anduin, stepping in front of the Tauren if only to keep Greymane from attacking the Horde representatives. Even though Anduin and Baine were friends, he had to be diplomatic for the moment. “From what King Greymane told me, Lady Sylvanas and the Horde agreed to cover the Alliance forces from the high ground, but just when the battle was reaching a frenzied peak, she sounded a withdrawal, leaving the Alliance forces overrun by demons which resulted in my father sacrificing himself so as many of our people as possible could escape.”

“She did sound the retreat,” Baine stated, inclining his head as he met Anduin’s eyes. “But it was not out of any malice towards your people. A portal opened behind our lines, sending a fresh wave of demons towards us. Vol’jin took a poisoned arrow which killed him but not before he ordered Sylvanas to save the Horde. That was when she sounded the retreat.”

“And thus a vendetta was born,” sighed Anduin, bowing his head as he felt his grief surge up again, but this time, it was for all of those lost, not just his people or his father. Straightening his shoulders, he raised his head to regard the older Tauren with an honest expression. “Thank you for telling me, and you have my condolences on the loss of Vol’jin. He was a fine leader and War Chief.”

“I thank you, but I suspect we were not brought here to talk about things better suited for a diplomatic table,” Baine stated. “Otherwise the Trade Prince and the Banshee Queen would be here as well.”

“They and their people are not welcome in Elune’s Garden,” announced a new voice, and Anduin turned to find twelve people who looked like a strange mix of Sin’dorei and Kaldorei emerged from a hidden hallway to stand along one side of the table which had enough room for twelve people to sit comfortably even as it put their backs to the open railing. The only thing all of them seemed to have in common was the glowing silver eyes, which he was not use to seeing on any Sin’dorei.

The Kaldorei priestess in the group of new arrivals gestured gracefully to the chairs across from them. “Please sit. We have much to discuss.”

“And just  _ what _ is it you wish to discuss?” drawled Lor'Themar, staring at them with his arms folded across his chest. “Your invitations were rather sparse.”

“Safety for those among your people who are able to live peacefully with their neighbors, no matter what race those neighbors might be,” drawled a Sin’dorei who had white hair and pale skin as if he had never seen a day of sun in his life. “But if that is too much for you to consider, then you are free to leave.”

“Excuse my ignorance, but who are you to offer such a thing, young ones?” asked Velen, turning towards them and standing next to a seat but not yet sitting. Anduin moved towards the table as well, hoping to sit next to Baine, but Greymane forcefully stepped between Anduin and the Tauren.

With amused smiles, the twelve of them introduced themselves with surprising human names. Luna was the priestess while the pale one was Draco, a warlock apparently. Harry and Neville, a Sin’dorei mage and Kaldorei druid respectively, sat in the center of their side, and Anduin found himself sitting across from Harry when he was finally allowed to sit with Greymane on one side and Velen on the other.

“We are the ruling council here in Elune’s Garden,” Harry announced, settling back in his chair, and there was a quiet pop as food and drink suddenly appeared in front of everyone. Anduin jumped at the noise and the refreshments appearing out of thin air, but those on the other side treated this as if it was a common event. “Thus we are more than capable to offer such a thing, my lord.”

“I have never heard of Elune’s Garden before,” Tyrande stated, turning to look out over the landscape beyond their plateau. “Where did this come from?”

“Lady Elune made it for us when she answered our prayer for help,” Susan remarked, looking at each of them with a curious tilt of her head before she sighed. “You don’t believe us.”

“It is not that we don’t believe you, my lady,” Malfurion remarked with a slight incline of his antler decorated head. “It is just that we have not heard of the Goddess creating an entire  _ world _ for someone.”

“Would you believe it if you were to witness our interaction with Lady Elune and Lord Malorne, lords and lady?” inquired Hermione before gesturing towards the center of the table where a stone bowl was set into the surface. “We have a process which will allow you to view our memories which will show the truth of our words.”

“I will view your memories, my lady,” Anduin spoke up before anyone could stop him. “Even though I do not doubt your word. The Goddess works as she will after all.” His heart was hammering inside his chest with delight and hope at their offer. A place of peace where members of the Horde and Alliance lived together in harmony.

“If you do not doubt us, why do you wish to view the memories, my lord?” inquired Padma, a curious tilt to her head.

Anduin shrugged slightly as he gestured towards them. “You will be guarding and ruling over those that come here, and I would like to get to know you better before delivering my people’s safety into your hands.”

“A wise answer, Your Majesty,” remarked Daphne with a small smirk, as if she was amused at some private joke that was too trivial to share with everyone else. She pulled out a slender stick that was carved in a decorative manner and polished before placing it to her temple. Anduin watched, fascinated, as a mist emerged from Daphne’s head to curl around her wand (for what else could it be?), and she reached over to gracefully hold her wand over the bowl where the mist seemed to flow like liquid into the stone. “This is from our world and is called a pensieve. When memories are placed within it, others can view those memories as if they were actually there by sticking their faces in the liquid. However, this one has been modified to project those memories around us. While the memory itself is a few hours long, time outside will only be a few minutes.”

“Fascinating,” muttered Mekkatorque, rubbing his chin as he apparently was turning over the possible uses over in his head. “I can see many uses for such a device in the Tinker’s Union.”

“Perhaps, but it is a creation of magic, not mechanical, my lord High Tinker,” countered Daphne with a faint flick of her wand as if to prove her point. “And too many memories in a pensieve makes it quite messy.”

“Before we begin, how did you know who to contact for this little meeting?” inquired Lor'Themar before gesturing to his side of the table. “It was only recently that Rokhan and Varok were elevated to leader of their respective races, yet you excluded two leaders affiliated with the Horde while including all the leaders of the Alliance. Plus you have stated you are not of Azeroth, so you would not know any of us to begin with.”

“The same way your invitations were delivered,” announced the familiar voice of Alexstrasza, and Anduin turned to find her and the other three Dragon Aspects now emerging from the same hidden hallway that the twelve had come from along with a little Pandaren girl that he remembered from his journey to that wondrous isle. 

The little Pandaren grinned at Aysa and rocked on her feet with her hands folded behind her back. “Yu’lon is very proud of both you and Ji Firepaw,” she stated, tiling her little head slightly. “Your paths haven’t been easy, especially his, but both of you have grown in wisdom.”

Aysa rose and bowed respectively to the little girl. “I thank you for your words. I will pass them along to Ji Firepaw to bolster his spirits after his ordeal,” she stated before glancing at the others. “I will spread the word to the Pandarens so they will know there is a safe place of peace for them.”

She turned to bow towards the others before vanishing down the hallway that they first arrived down, and Anduin watched her go, a spring in her step that had been absent earlier. When he turned back, the little girl was gone, leaving the Aspects standing behind the center four people, and Anduin noticed that the usual grief that had seem to cling to Alexstrasza since her last consort had died had lessened. No matter what else he might think about this place and these strange elves, he would appreciate them for helping her when it seemed no other could not.

When no one else spoke up for whatever reason, Daphne leaned forward to touch the stone bowl. In a rush of magic and mist, the memory spilled out of the bowl to surround them, and Anduin found himself standing in front of a decrepit and empty moonwell that was covered with moss and dirt. Moving around it, obviously doing their best to clean it up, were twelve humans who looked no older than himself, and he could only stare in disbelief at them. They were dirty, haggard, and reminded him of many of the refuges that had taken up residence in Westfall, but there was hope in their expressions as they worked. 

“It’s darker than Tirisfal Glade and Silverpine Forest,” muttered Greymane, looking around, and Anduin took a few moments to focus on the forest that surrounded them. It was very dark and foreboding, much more than the lands claimed by Sylvanas and the Forsaken. “Yet more feral. It makes me want to run through the trees, hunting hapless prey under the full moon.”

“It is called the Forbidden Forest and was one of the darkest and oldest magical forests in Europe,” Blaise announced, his voice soft out of respect. “After the war began, it became a place of great danger and almost certain death.”

“Yet you entered it freely in the hope of life,” mused Baine, glancing at the now elves that stood with them. “You must have had a great deal of belief that your plea would be answered.’

“Actually, we had nothing left to lose High Chief,” replied Harry with a shrug of his shoulders, and Anduin felt a shiver run down his spine. He had seen people reach that point, far too often since the Burning Legion had turned its forces back towards Azeroth, and he knew those who had nothing left to lose were often the most dangerous.

They watched in silence as the moonwell was cleaned and everyone moved around to start chanting. Tyrande gasped, a hand coming up to press against her mouth as her eyes widened in recognition. Even Malorne looked like he had been punched in the stomach as the twelve continued chanting, praying to Elune. Then the night grew darker, more oppressive, and Anduin watched as many of them started shivering at the feeling of despair and hopelessness that filled the air.

Suddenly, the young man with messy dark hair and glasses whirled around and shouted something that Anduin didn’t get a chance to make out before a large silver white elk seemed to explode out of his wand. Baine staggered slightly as Malfurion let out a small moan of surprise as Malorne shredded the creatures in the dark cloaks. It was so quick yet so violent that it took Anduin’s breath away, and then Malorne settled lightly on the ground among the teens and sent out a bugle, apparently summoning the full moon as it broke through the clouds.

Then little motes began to appear into the empty moonwell before suddenly a silver white elf maiden was there, and Anduin felt his knees go weak as Elune smiled at all of them, as if she could see them even through the memory.

“Goddess,” whispered Tyrande, and she sank to her knees in respect. Anduin followed her to kneel on the ground, his mouth open in awe, as Elune, Malorne, and the teenagers talked about a new home and what they needed to do. The idea that these twelve  _ willingly _ facing the Burning Legion sent a shiver of fear down Anduin’s spine. He had seen the death and destruction of the demons and knew how tempting their agents could be. While he didn’t want the Legion to gain a foothold on  _ any _ planet, he knew that their armies had been next to useless on the Broken Shore.

Then nearly as quickly as it appeared, the memory swirled back into mist and seemed to be sucked back down into the bowl. Daphne reached out and seemed to gather it up on her wand before replacing it in her head. Anduin didn’t look at the other leaders as he faced those on the other side of the table. 

“I will spread the word to my people of your offer, my lords and ladies,” he stated, his voice unwavering before he bowed to them. “I thank you for your offer of sanctuary for my people and hope we might foster strong relations in the future.”

There was no doubt that these twelve had been blessed in such a way that many on Azeroth could only  _ dream _ of, and yet they acted as if it was nothing special to have Elune  _ and _ Malorne come down to create a whole new world for them. Yet, Elune merely asked them if they would help instead of have it as one of her conditions to help them. Apparently, she knew that they would be unable to resist helping fight the Burning Legion even when offered the chance to do nothing but enjoy the peace they had earned.

Perhaps once the Burning Legion was driven away from Azeroth again, Anduin might come to Elune’s Garden to visit and learn from these twelve. Elune had created an entire world for them with no restrictions placed on them, so for them to extend the invitation of sanctuary to the people of Azeroth only showed how large their compassion was. Anduin made a promise to himself that he would not let anyone take advantage of their kind and generous nature.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is inspired by Wolfwalker's "Journey to a New Start" located here: http://www.wolfsnest.n40c.net/Wolfwalker/JTANS/jtansmain.html
> 
> Also, any self insertion will be my various World of Warcraft characters who come to help.


End file.
